German battery manufacturer Moll Batterien GmbH is moving forward with plans to establish a sodium-ion battery production facility in Lichtenfels, a town in Bavaria, marking a significant step in the region’s push toward next-generation energy storage technologies. The new plant, located in southern Germany, is designed with an initial annual production capacity of 1 GWh and is expected to create 126 new jobs and vocational training positions. The company plans to bring the facility online by the end of 2026.
The project is receiving substantial public backing. The Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs announced that it will support construction of the plant through a mix of state and European funding mechanisms. Bavaria will contribute €19.65 million under the federal BKR regulation for Transformation Technologies, while an additional €2.52 million will come from the European Union’s European Regional Development Fund. Together, public funding for the initiative totals €22.17 million. Moll Batterien estimates the overall investment in the project at approximately €103 million.
The funding decision underscores the strategic importance of sodium-ion batteries within Germany’s broader energy transition agenda. Compared with lithium-based technologies, sodium-ion batteries rely on more abundant raw materials, offering potential advantages in supply security, cost stability, and sustainability—factors that are increasingly central to Energy News coverage across Europe.
Bavaria’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Hubert Aiwanger, described the project as emblematic of an emerging growth sector, highlighting the shift toward sodium-based storage as an alternative to batteries dependent on scarce resources. He said the investment demonstrates how green innovation can simultaneously advance the energy transition, generate skilled employment, and strengthen Bavaria’s industrial base, with benefits extending well beyond the region.
Once operational, the Lichtenfels facility is expected to position Moll Batterien as an early European player in sodium-ion battery manufacturing, contributing to the diversification of battery supply chains at a time when demand for scalable, sustainable energy storage solutions continues to rise.