CARBON officially files the building permit application for its gigafactory in Fos-sur-Mer
Nicolas Chandellier, the CEO of CARBON, officially submitted the building permit application for the gigafactory on Thursday, April 18, 2024, to the town hall of Fos-sur-Mer. The project is planned within the municipality’s territory in the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis, in the Southern Region. This marks a new phase consistent with the commitments made to authorities and various stakeholders, especially during the preliminary consultation.
- The event served as an opportunity to once again thank local authorities (Grand Port Maritime of Marseille-Fos, City of Fos, Metropolis, Department, Region, Prefecture) and state services for their mobilization and commitment to CARBON’s industrial project for over a year;
- To discuss the favorable evolution of the French and European public framework supporting the photovoltaic industry to meet the energy transition challenge;
- And to reiterate that CARBON aims to build the European leader in the photovoltaic industry by focusing on sustainability, competitiveness, and innovation, and deploying the only European project ensuring complete industrial sovereignty, from ingot to module.
Operational Phase Launch of the Gigafactory Project
Following the preliminary consultation held in the fall of 2023, CARBON committed to continuing dialogue with citizens and stakeholders up to the public inquiry scheduled for the summer of 2024, through ongoing engagement that began in March.
CARBON is maintaining its ambitious commitments and moving forward in stages to begin producing its first photovoltaic modules in Fos by 2026. “This submission of the building permit application marks an important operational step for our major industrial project. I would like to congratulate all teams at CARBON and all our partners for their accomplished work and thank the local communities and state services for their support at every moment,” expressed Pierre-Emmanuel MARTIN, the founder-president of CARBON.
45 Hectares of Industrial Facilities at the Grand Port Maritime of Marseille-Fos
The industrial facilities will spread over nearly 45 hectares, including 30 hectares of developed land with 24.5 hectares of floor area (210,000 m² of which will be dedicated to production across two floors) creating 3,000 direct jobs. Natural spaces will also be preserved and enhanced, including a 4-hectare “sanctuary” for biodiversity.
A Favorable Context for the Photovoltaic Industry
This announcement comes after several political, legislative, and regulatory commitments at the national and European levels, supporting the development of the photovoltaic industry in Europe, in a context of heavy dependence on imports from Asia, especially China.
Significant recent developments include the signing of the solar pact between the state and the French solar sector on April 5, 2024, the signing of the European solar charter involving 23 EU member countries on April 15, 2024, the imminent final adoption of the European regulation for the net-zero emissions industry (NZIA), and the announced implementation of the InduScore… This new framework enhances the strategic industrial project led by CARBON.