IVREA . The Italian government, in recent weeks, has been pushing the accelerator of the battery sector and Confindustria Canavese reminds Italvolt. “It is a project – continues Patrizia Paglia, president of Confindustria Canavese – in which mechanisms have already started and which, therefore, if it could also count on concrete public support, could put its foot on the accelerator and soon become operational”. The public recall of Canavese entrepreneurs to the government follows the process that Italy has started in Brussels, where it submitted a plan to access European funds to build a gigafactory. The government seems particularly interested in giving a leading role to Stellantis, which in turn has expressed the desire to build a site to produce batteries in Italy, after having already done so in France and Germany. And it is clear that, in Piedmont, entrepreneurs and institutions look with interest to the multinational Stellantis for the repercussions that its choices can have on the whole Italian system.
Confindustria Canavese, however, remembers that Italvolt is in the area. The Italvolt project was born from a totally different premise compared to those of the multinational car companies. Italvolt is the idea of an entrepreneur – the Swedish Lars Carlstrom – who wants to enter an industrial business that is developing to meet a global automotive demand which, according to forecasts, will increase in the world by 17 times by 2030 with a forecast of demand from the European Union of 565 GWh, behind only China, with an expected demand of 1,548 GWh. Carlstrom started alone and the project has to be built, piece by piece, alliance by alliance, with the risk that, without an energetic change, it will implode and not be realized. Confindustria Canavese is supporting Carlstrom, certain that the project, which on paper should employ 4 thousand direct employees, would be a real driving force for the development of an area with an industrial vocation. Hence the reference to the Government. Pd regional councilor Alberto Avetta presented a question time to take stock: «The junta, beyond the manifestation of moderate optimism, has in fact confirmed the uncertainty and unknowns of future developments. Confindustria Canavese did well to recall the Government. We now expect a tight pressure from the president of the Cirio Region and the advisers of the League on Minister Giorgetti. After so many words, a lack of interest in this match would be incomprehensible ».
The announcement of the willingness of the Swedish entrepreneur Lars Carlstrom to set up a gigafactory of lithium-ion batteries for the electricity market in the former Olivetti district of Scarmagno dates back to last February. Italvolt’s goal is to reach production in 2024 and therefore to begin work in 2022. Negotiations with the site owner are continuing, as is the search for the entrepreneur to find investors and make agreements. Some (Tuv Sud and American Manganese) areor have already been formalized. “It is appropriate that the Italian government – says President Paglia – also take into consideration Italvolt, an initiative that can already count on the support of private lenders and that has attracted attention from some European agencies”.
“Furthermore – underlines Paglia – the birth of Italvolt in Scarmagno would allow an important industrial and environmental redevelopment operation, revitalizing the area of the largest plant that Olivetti had built in Canavese, containing land consumption and promoting ecological transition”. Meanwhile, Italvolt goes on. In recent days he met with the mayors. “From recent contacts – says Adriano Grassino, Mayor of Scarmagno – we have had confirmation of the will to implement the project and that things are going forward”. At the moment, no formal deed has yet been presented to the Suap, one-stop shop for the production activities of Ivrea (which operates over a large area, therefore also for Scarmagno).