Söder calls for an investigation into Northvolt: Do not leave payers in the rain!
Söder calls for an investigation into Northvolt: Do not leave payers in the rain!
München, Deutschland - Bayern's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) on May 27, 2025 called for a comprehensive processing of the bankruptcy of the Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt. In an explanation, he emphasized that the Bundestag had to clarify the situation without gaps and quickly. Söder is particularly targeted by the role of then Minister of Economy Robert Habeck (Greens), whose decisions and actions in connection with the bankruptcy are of central importance. According to Welt there is a risk of a loss of up to 620 Millions of euros, which Söder finds unacceptable.
The bankruptcy of Northvolt became known last November when the company applied for creditor protection under US law and had accumulated $ eight billion. This not only provides uncertainty in Germany, but also alerts large German automobile manufacturers such as Porsche, VW and Mercedes. These are now looking for new suppliers of batteries that were originally supposed to come from Northvolt. Porsche has already emphasized the urgency to secure its own supply chains while reports that the production of e-car batteries in Europe remains a subsidy business.
Investigation committee required
Söder also brought the possibility of an investigation committee into play to comprehensively clarify the questions about the Northvolt bankruptcy and responsibilities. He confirmed that taxpayers must not stay at the expense of bankruptcy. This is regarded as a necessary step to strengthen trust in political decisions and avoid future mistakes.
The ongoing construction work at the Northvolt plant in the Schleswig-Holstein Heide continues to be underway, while the German subsidiary of Northvolt has talks with several prospective buyers in order to cope with the bankruptcy. Despite the 600 million euros in loans granted by the German KfW, the company could not be saved, which makes the situation appear dramatic, according to Dirk Uwe Sauer, an expert for energy storage.
Overall, the situation around Northvolt shows the challenges that European industry faces when it comes to building an independent production of battery cells for electric cars. This bankruptcy could have far -reaching consequences for the automotive industry and the turnover of traffic in Germany.
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| Ort | München, Deutschland |
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