Chinese CATL plant in Debrecen receives another important regulatory approval for giga investment

An environmental permit applying “stricter conditions than ever before” has been issued for a battery plant China’s CATL will build in Debrecen, in eastern Hungary, the Hajdú-Bihar County Government Office said on Monday.

The licencing procedure, among the “most thorough” of all official clearance processes, “ensures the investment complies with the strictest environmental protection conditions”, the office said.

The permit imposes a number of obligations on the investor related to protection of soil, air and water, it added.

“In a number of instances, the authority decided to require compliance with stricter thresholds than those stipulated by law and prescribed more frequent checks,” the office said.

The decision on the issue of the permit will become final on February 18.

CATL announced plans in August to build a more than EUR 7bn, 100 GWh battery plant in Hungary’s second-largest city.