TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's leading battery maker ProLogium has announced plans to build its first overseas gigafactory in Dunkirk, northern France. The founder and CEO of ProLogium, Vincent Yang, stressed on Friday (June 9) his intention to keep its roots in Taiwan has not changed, but he expressed hopes to continue its global expansion.
Speaking to the media, Yang said the decision to choose Dunkirk is based on France's national policy and its green industry initiatives plans, stressing "the technology required by our solid-state batteries aligns with their objectives."
Addressing ProLogium's plan to increase its global presence in Asian countries, such as Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam, Yang told reporters his current plan would be to "emphasize the European and U.S markets since we have a lot of commitment with our OEM companies."
After considering 13 countries and over 90 potential locations to build the battery factory, ProLogium made an announcement last month to invest 5.2 billion euros in a new gigafactory in Dunkirk, known as the "Battery Valley" in France, aiming to be closer to the European market and access needed materials.
As France has remained first in Europe for FDI projects for four years in a row, French Office in Taipei Director Jean-Francois Casabonne-Masonnave, emphasized the country's continued efforts to push for reforms since 2017, such as corporate tax reduction and labor law enforcement. He expressed hopes to welcome more foreign enterprises to gain a presence in France.
"We are developing an ecosystem, a hub in Dunkirk and northern France, that attracts several companies. ProLogium is the newest and one of the most spectacular, obviously because of the quality and novelty of its technology," he explained.
"But it is a combination of decisions and factors that result in concentrating the private industrial proposition of these companies in this location. Concretely, this means a significant investment from local authorities and the local ecosystem regarding transportation and energy, " he added.
The top French official in Taiwan stressed that there are many other industrial sectors in which Taiwanese and French entrepreneurs have much in common, from the stages of research and development to implementation in production.