Norwegian battery cell producer Morrow Batteries has opened Europe’s first lithium iron phosphate (LFP) gigafactory with an annual production capacity of 1 GWh to supply the ever-growing European battery energy storage market.

On Aug. 16, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store inaugurated the factory in Arendal, just under two years after Morrow Batteries began construction works and four years after it first presented plans for the facility.

Test production has already started, as the manufacturer continues to work closely with customers to fine-tune the production equipment to achieve serial production quality over the following months. Morrow Batteries said it expects that commercial production will commence at the end of the year.

Since November 2023, Morrow Batteries has produced and shipped thousands of LFP sample cells to potential customers for testing and validation at the company’s Customer Qualification Line (CQL). “The company can now deliver a commercially viable, thoroughly tested, competitive LFP product,” Morrow Batteries said in a statement.