November 11, 2024: Saudi energy giant, Acwa Power, has partnered with Gotion Power, Morocco — the Chinese battery firm’s North African subsidiary — to build a $800 million, 500MW wind power plant with a 2,000MWh energy storage facility.

Acwa signed the joint development agreement with Gotion High-Tech to build the $1.3 billion EV battery gigafactory in Kenitra, Morocco, construction of which is to begin in June 2026. The plant will start with a capacity of 20GWh, eventually reaching 120GWh, and will export 85% of its output.

Gotion Power, Morocco will be the first gigafactory in the EMEA region with its own dedicated solar and wind farm, the company said.

The investment is the first of its kind in Africa and the Middle East and represents Morocco’s push to be a leader in EV battery manufacturing. The gigafactory will create around 17,000 direct and indirect jobs, including 2,300 highly skilled positions.

The battery production facility forms part of a larger, $1.8bn suite of partnerships signed by Acwa Power on the sidelines of the 8th Future Investment Initiative (FII8) held in Riyadh from October 29 to 31. These encompass renewable energy, battery storage, and R&D initiatives across Gulf nations, China, Central Asia, and North Africa.

Gotion has been accelerating its overseas expansion in recent years. In addition to the gigafactory in Morocco, the company has established a plant in Fremont, California where the first battery packs have already been produced. It is also planning larger battery factories in Illinois and Michigan.

Gotion is one of the world’s largest battery makers, ranking ninth globally with a 2.2% share of the world’s installed base of power batteries in January-April, according to South Korea’s SNE Research.