EU faces dependence on Chinese batteries – Kommersant

By 2030, the European Union could become heavily dependent on Chinese-made lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells. This is the opinion of the authors of a report prepared by Spain, which holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union on the eve of the EU summit in Granada. According to the agency Reuterswho managed to familiarize himself with the contents of the report, it will become the basis for discussing the issue of European economic security at the summit.

According to the report’s authors, the production of energy from renewable sources requires an increasing amount of storage capacity. “This will dramatically increase our demand for lithium-ion batteries, fuel cells and electrolysers, which is expected to grow 10-30 times in the coming years,” the report notes.

The authors suggest that in the absence of tough measures, “the European energy ecosystem could become dependent on China by 2030,” and that this dependence would be as severe, although different in nature, as the EU’s dependence on Russian energy until recently. Experts estimate that by 2030, dependence on foreign producers could significantly undermine the productivity growth that European manufacturing and services sectors need, and hamper the modernization of agricultural systems needed to address climate change.

Alena Miklashevskaya