Navarre and Hithium Sign €400M Battery Plant Deal in Spain, Creating 700 Jobs
The regional government of Navarre and Chinese energy company Hithium have signed an agreement to move forward with a new battery manufacturing plant in Spain, in a ceremony attended by Pedro Sánchez.
The project, which will focus on battery energy storage systems (BESS) and cells, represents an investment of around €400 million and is expected to create approximately 700 jobs in the region.
The agreement was formalised during a meeting between the President of Navarre, María Chivite Navascués, and Hithium’s Founder and Chairman, Jeff Wu, as part of an official visit to China.
According to the announcement, the project will support Europe’s transition to cleaner energy while strengthening economic ties between Spain and China. The factory is expected to begin production in 2027, although further details are still being finalised.
During the meeting, President Chivite stated that, "although there are still steps and details to be specified", the investment "will materialise in the Community, which is good news for all the people of Navarre".
Navarre was selected for the project due to its strong industrial base and technical expertise. The region has experience hosting international investments and offers access to engineering services, training, and research centres.
The Minister of Industry, Mikel Irujo, highlighted the long process behind the agreement, noting that it followed "intense work of two years of direct contact, seven visits by Chinese representatives to Navarre and four trips to China by delegations from the regional executive".
From Hithium’s side, Qi Tang described the deal as a key step forward, calling it a "milestone" in the company’s expansion into Europe.
Tang also emphasised confidence in the business environment, stating:
"We believe that both Navarre and Spain offer the right commercial atmosphere for us and for other Chinese companies to develop their business in Europe,"
and added that the project "will be very successful".
He further noted that the company valued the "efficiency of the Navarrese authorities in the process" and the "strong support" received during decision-making.
Hithium, founded in 2019 and headquartered in Xiamen, specialises in stationary energy storage systems. The planned Navarre facility will be its first manufacturing site in the European Union and only its second outside China.
The project reflects growing demand for battery storage solutions as Europe expands renewable energy capacity and seeks to improve energy security.
Source: hithium.com
