A cluster for the production of electric batteries has opened in Moscow’s special economic zone. It includes two gigafactories, a research centre and a product testing and certification centre, according to the official website of the President of Russia.
One of the gigafactories has entered commercial operation. It produces lithium cells and batteries for electric vehicles, freight transport, electric vessels and industrial energy storage systems.
The production line is capable of manufacturing one cell per second – up to 18 million cells a year. This is enough to supply batteries for up to 50,000 electric vehicles.
The share of robotic operations at the facility reaches 95 per cent. The maximum number of employees will be around 1,300.
The other gigafactory will produce compact batteries for household appliances, bicycles, energy storage systems for data centres and other devices. It is scheduled to launch by the end of 2026.
A research centre is also being established as part of the cluster. It will develop new types of batteries and create prototypes.
Another area of work is the testing and certification of finished products. The National Certification Centre is scheduled to launch in 2027.
It is expected that by 2030, once the new facilities reach their design capacity, Russia will be able to meet most of its domestic demand for batteries independently.