A CATL subsidiary is seeking approval for a new battery repackaging and reassembly facility in Debrecen, months after Péter Szijjártó insisted that no new battery industry investment was planned for the city.
CATL subsidiary behind planned Debrecen facility
According to local news portal Debreciner, a new battery-related industrial facility could be built in Debrecen by GreenPower Energy Debrecen Kft., a Hungarian subsidiary of Chinese battery giant CATL, according to documents published by the Hajdú-Bihar County Government Office.
An environmental impact assessment procedure for the project has been underway since 23 June, although the public was only informed about the procedure through a notice published on 31 August. A public hearing will also be held, with its date and details to be announced at a later stage.
The planned facility would be located in a 44,000-square-metre industrial hall built by state-owned Inpark in Debrecen’s southern economic zone. Inpark began constructing the hall last year but had previously declined to say what kind of industrial activity would take place there.
The facility would be the latest addition to Debrecen’s rapidly expanding battery industry, which already includes CATL’s major battery manufacturing project and a separate battery module assembly operation.
Former Foreign Minister Szijjártó previously denied another battery investment
The plans are particularly notable because they appear to contradict a categorical statement made earlier this year by then-Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó. At a press conference in Berettyóújfalu on 17 February, Szijjártó rejected claims that another previously unannounced battery-related investment was coming to Debrecen or elsewhere in Hajdú-Bihar County.
He had also accused Debreciner of spreading false information over reports about further battery industry developments in the area.
At the time, however, Inpark was already constructing the new industrial hall. When asked about its intended use in January, the state-owned company said only that it would provide modern industrial infrastructure for international companies and support economic growth in the region. It did not publicly disclose that the building could be used for battery-related activities.
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No cell manufacturing, but up to 85 tonnes of hazardous waste
The planned operation would not manufacture battery cells. According to the environmental documentation, GreenPower Energy would modify the packaging of battery cells, modules and packs, carry out module- and pack-level assembly operations, and manufacture and repair tools and equipment used on production lines.
The documentation stresses that the electrochemical operation of the batteries would not be altered at the facility. There would be no electrode manufacturing, electrolyte handling or battery cell production.
Nevertheless, the plant would generate substantial amounts of waste.
The facility is expected to produce around 2,000–2,200 tonnes of non-hazardous waste every year, largely consisting of paper, cardboard, plastic and wooden packaging materials, as well as metal waste and defective or rejected batteries.
It is also expected to generate 80–85 tonnes of hazardous waste annually. This would mainly include adhesive waste, packaging contaminated with hazardous substances, contaminated components and other technological residues. Battery waste would be handled by specialised waste management companies before being sent for final treatment.
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More than 100 lorries a day
The environmental documentation also estimates that the facility would generate significant additional traffic. The calculations take into account an expected daily increase of 124 articulated lorries, 52 cars and light commercial vehicles, and 12 buses.
While the increase would reportedly be moderate compared with existing traffic on major roads such as the M35 motorway and Routes 47 and 481, the impact would be considerably greater on roads directly serving the industrial site.
According to the assessment, heavy goods vehicle traffic on the Inpark access road and Hermann Konseder Street could roughly double. The project will now go through the environmental assessment process, including a public hearing, before the authorities make the relevant decisions.
