Gigafactory project in Termoli postponed, trade unions ready to mobilise

For the unions, stalling on the Gigafactory project in Termoli is unacceptable, so much so as to push the workers' representatives to a possible mobilisation, following Friday's assemblies. The project of Acc, the joint venture between Stellantis, Mercedes Benz and Total Energies, as emerged a few days ago and then officially confirmed during the meeting at Mimit, 'is postponed' as communicated by Benoit Torres, vice president of the Termoli project.

The introduction of new low-cost cell chemistries at the Italian plant - one of three announced by Acc, alongside the pole in Germany and the one in France, which is already operational - requires necessary adjustments to the timing of the start of construction, the company argued. Weighing on the decision to "take a break" to revise the industrial plan are two orders of magnitude of factors: the slowdown in the electric market across Europe, which is pushing automotive players to review plans and investment projects, and the decision to focus on Termoli for the production of low-cost batteries, a technology, the company says, that is not yet perfected. The first production module was initially scheduled for 2026, but at this point a postponement is a foregone conclusion.

"The project for the construction of the gigafactory in Termoli has not simply been postponed for a few months, but suspended at least until the end of the year, without any certainty for the future," write the metalmechanical unions Fim, Fiom, Uilm, Ugl and Fismic, along with the Quadri Association, in a note. "This is a situation that as unions we cannot accept and for which we have asked the government and the Molise Region to take joint action to obtain clarity from ACC and Stellantis itself. The company therefore, stresses Stefano Boschini of Fim Cisl, 'will not be able to give an update on the project until the end of the year. This is a negative choice, because it does not take into account the repercussions on the 2000 workers and their families, as well as the workers in the allied industries, in an area that supports a large part of its economy thanks to the site that produces endothermic engines for the Stellantis group'.

Part of the Termoli issue is the development contract signed with the government, which envisages aid for 370 million against a 2.3 billion investment. Having received from ACC the modifications on the new technologies of the project, already approved in the Pnrr programming, the ministry "reserves the right to assess, also with the European Commission, whether they are compatible with the timing and modalities of the allocated funding". Mimit states that it shares the unions' concerns, urges the company to define 'certain timescales for the realisation of the project' and asks for 'precise guarantees on the maintenance of employment levels at Stellantis' production plants in Molise'. Statements by a Stellantis spokesperson were not enough to reassure the unions, who recalled the decision to boost the production of components for thermal engines at the Termoli plant, 'thanks to the decision to develop a new Fiat 500 hybrid for commercial launch at the end of 2025-beginning 2026 and to extend the commercial life of the Fiat Panda hybrid until 2029'. The ministry will convene a Stellantis table for Molise.

ACC opened its first large factory a year ago in Douvrin, northern France. Today, the situation in the European electric market is less promising and Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis, himself stated a few days ago that investments in the gigafactory sector 'will be in line with the demands of the electric market'. ACC's objective is to 'update its industrial timeline and construction strategy', postponing the reopening of discussions on the detailed content of the project in Termoli for late 2024-early 2025.