ACC recently welcomed French Minister Delegate for Industry Sébastien Martin and Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry Cecilie T. Myrseth for a landmark visit to its Gigafactory — a moment that underscored the strategic importance of European battery manufacturing at a time of profound industrial transformation.

A Visit with a Strong Political Signal

The choice of ACC's Gigafactory as the setting for this high-level Franco-Norwegian encounter was anything but coincidental. By bringing his Norwegian counterpart to our production facility, Minister Martin made a clear statement: ACC stands at the heart of France's reindustrialisation ambitions, and of Europe's collective drive toward decarbonised mobility.
Norway is a compelling reference point in this regard. With electric vehicles now accounting for over 95% of new car sales, the country represents what a successful transition to electric mobility looks like at scale. The visit was a natural opportunity to exchange on the industrial and policy foundations that make such transformation possible, and on how France intends to build its own.
The two ministers toured ACC's production lines before signing two bilateral partnership agreements between France and Norway, covering green industry and critical metals. A fitting backdrop for commitments that will shape the supply chains of tomorrow.

The Launch of France Batterie

The visit also served as the official launchpad for France Batterie, a national initiative that marks a significant step in the structuring of France's battery industry.
France Batterie brings together the full spectrum of French industrial and academic players across the battery value chain — from raw material extraction and component manufacturing, through cell production and battery assembly, to recycling and second life. Operating under the Nouveaux Systèmes Énergétiques industry body and in close partnership with the French State, it now speaks with a single, coordinated voice on behalf of the sector.
The commitments are concrete. By 2030, France Batterie members and the State have agreed to deploy sufficient gigafactory capacity to reach 100 to 120 GWh of annual domestic production, to develop local recycling infrastructure for manufacturing scrap and end-of-life batteries, and to support the emergence of upstream projects in critical material extraction and processing. A sustainable ecosystem for battery repair and second life is also part of the agenda.
The French State has already committed over €3 billion since 2019 through IPCEI programmes and France 2030 to support this strategy — spanning the full chain from mining to recycling, with reindustrialisation, sovereignty, and decarbonisation as guiding objectives.

 

A Critical Moment for European Industrial Policy

France Batterie's launch comes at a pivotal moment for the European battery sector. Two recent EU initiatives set the context.
The Industrial Accelerator Act, presented in March 2026, introduces European content criteria for batteries destined for automotive and stationary storage applications — criteria that will condition access to public procurement and State support. For manufacturers producing in Europe, this represents a meaningful competitive lever.
The Battery Booster Facility, currently being established, will provide targeted financial support to European gigafactories during their ramp-up phase — the most demanding period from both an industrial and financial standpoint. This mechanism is designed to complement existing innovation-focused instruments such as Horizon Europe and the Innovation Fund.
Together, these initiatives reflect a European industrial policy that is increasingly willing to act decisively in support of strategic sectors.

ACC at the Centre of This Ecosystem

ACC is precisely the kind of actor this ecosystem was built to support. With France and Europe’s first Gigafactory, we produce the cells that power the new generation of electric vehicles — and we do so at a moment when the case for European-origin battery production has never been stronger.
The global competitive environment is intense. The need for a structured, state-backed national framework, one that coordinates investment, shapes regulation, and amplifies the sector's voice in Brussels, is a strategic necessity.
France Batterie gives that framework a name and a mandate. This ministerial visit gave it a visible, symbolic launch. And ACC is proud to have provided the stage for both.
 

A discussion between Sébastien Martin and Matthieu Hubert, General Secretary of ACC