Morrow Batteries ASA (“Morrow”) is receiving the first shipment of battery production equipment this week at the newly established container terminal in Arendal. The container ship “Thea II” arrived in Arendal on October 23 with the first load of battery production equipment for Morrow’s battery cell factory. This marks the first time a container ship unloads at the new terminal.
“This is a milestone for Morrow on our path to starting large-scale battery production in the first half of 2024. We are very pleased with the support, effort, and flexibility shown by Arendal Harbor in establishing the first new container terminal in Norway in many years,” says Logistics Manager André Stiansen at Morrow.
The container vessel carried the first 51 containers out of around 500 for the battery factory, and Morrow and Arendal Harbor expect to unload approximately 40 containers per week in the coming time. Rhenus Logistics is the equipment’s freight forwarder, and it was transported on a larger container ship to Rotterdam before being loaded onto the container ship “Thea II.”
“Morrow Batteries is demonstrating that we, as a company, can make it happen, and now Norwegian authorities must show that they want battery cell production in Norway. We are establishing profitable production that creates jobs and contributes to the region’s revitalisation. We will provide significant annual export revenues and help address the climate crisis. There is a time for plans and ambitions, but now it’s time for action and realisation,” says Lars Christian Bacher.
“Morrow has substantial volumes and opts for environmentally friendly maritime transport. In doing so, Morrow contributes to establishing regular container vessel traffic to Arendal, enabling more cost-effective and sustainable transportation on a larger scale. Arendal Harbor makes it easier to establish new businesses, create jobs, and generate value in the region, of which Morrow is a significant part. This is a great symbiosis,” says Port Director Rune Hvass at Arendal Harbor.
The Port of Arendal is strategically located just about 40 minutes from the main shipping channel. The volume at the harbour has increased by almost 25 per cent annually over the past eight years.
“Our first battery cell factory is nearing completion. The building was finished in August, after which we began installing the ‘dry room’ and other systems. The production equipment and many South Korean installers are now arriving,” says Stiansen from Morrow.
Approximately 80 per cent of Morrow Cell Factory’s technical equipment comes from South Korea, while 97 per cent of cell production equipment is from South Korea. Morrow will soon open Eyde House, which can accommodate over 200 South Korean assemblers and specialists to install the equipment in the first factory.
Morrow will open Morrow Cell Factory with a capacity of one gigawatt-hour in the first half of 2024. Over the next few years, the company plans to increase production toward 43 gigawatt-hours per year, requiring thousands of containers through the Port of Arendal annually.