CATL-Stellantis battery plant in Spain to employ average of 1,000 Chinese workers during construction

July 27 (Reuters) - CATL and Stellantis' jointly-owned gigafactory in Aragon, northeastern Spain, will employ an average of 1,000 workers from China in the construction phase, Aragon's president said at a press conference on Monday.

The joint venture, named 'Contemporary Star Energy' or CSE, will train 4,000 workers from Aragon to staff the plant once it is operating at full capacity, Jorge Azcon added, speaking alongside CSE chief executive Andy Wu.

Below are further details from Azcon's comments at the press conference:

• The plant, the first stone of which was laid in November 2025, has received all approvals to complete construction.

• There are currently 500 people working to build the plant, of which 172 have come from China mostly to take on design and management roles.

• Andy Wu, chief executive of the joint venture, will move to the capital of Aragon, Zaragoza, shortly.

• The number of Chinese workers employed at the plant during construction will peak at 1,700, with the pace of their arrival to depend on when they receive visas and work permits.

• Production, previously forecast to start at the end of 2026, will begin in the first months of 2027.

(Reporting by Victoria Waldersee, Editing by Louise Heavens)