Gotion unveils €950m battery recycling and cathode complex in Valladolid, construction to start in 2027

Project unveiled

On Wednesday, Chinese battery giant Gotion High-Tech presented its plan to build a €950 million industrial complex in Valladolid, Spain. The project, backed by €138 million in Spanish government subsidies, will consist of two plants: one for recycling up to 200,000 tonnes of batteries per year and another for producing 200,000 tonnes of cathode materials. Construction is set to begin in 2027, with some officials suggesting operations could start that same year.

It's not just about producing batteries, but doing it in a cleaner, more efficient and more sustainable way.

Strategic gap in Europe

The cathode plant would be the first of its kind in Europe, according to Transport Minister Óscar Puente. Cathodes account for roughly 60% of a battery's value, and no other facility in the EU currently manufactures them. Gotion, the world's fifth-largest EV battery maker, aims to turn Valladolid into a hub for southern Europe, part of a global plan to establish 500 recycling, sales and manufacturing centres by 2030.

This is a project that does not exist anywhere else in Europe.

Government backing

Industry Minister Jordi Hereu announced that the PERTE VEC V programme had allocated €82.3 million to the recycling plant and €55.9 million to the cathode factory. The subsidies cover nearly 15% of the first-phase investment. Hereu said the complex would make Valladolid "one of the hubs of electric mobility in Europe". The regional government of Castilla y León must still approve a modification to the urban plan, with a provisional decision expected on 27 July.

Timeline and next steps

Gotion's interest in Valladolid dates back to 2023, when then-mayor Puente visited a Slovak battery plant operated by Inobat, a company Gotion later partially acquired. After a meeting between Gotion's chief and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in November 2025, and a visit by Puente to China in January 2026, the project accelerated. The complex will occupy 700,000 square metres in the Palomares area and is expected to create 2,500 construction jobs and 1,000 permanent positions. Gotion also plans to power the plants with a dedicated solar farm, requiring an additional 1,000 hectares of land.