Park where you like! Currently, 358 people are working at Northvolt Ett and Revolt in Skellefteå. In one of the parking lots, which used to be full, there are now significantly fewer cars.
On May 22, the latest major announcement regarding Northvolt’s bankrupt battery factory was made: a full-scale shutdown of production in Skellefteå.
The decision followed Scania’s announcement that it would switch to a different supplier—Northvolt’s last remaining customer.
Three weeks later, the shutdown process is underway, and no new battery cells are currently being produced.
– The shutdown is in effect and proceeding according to plan, said bankruptcy administrator Mikael Kubu when reached by Norran by phone on Monday afternoon.
– The number of employees in Skellefteå is currently 358 people, if you include both Ett and Revolt. But that figure is also set to decrease further. Exactly how many will remain after the end of the month is unclear, according to Kubu.
– It will be a significant reduction because then we will only need maintenance, and we haven't calculated how much yet. The bankruptcy estate can't finance it.
Because you no longer have any income?
– Yes, precisely.
Mikael Kubu, from Ackordscentralen, is the bankruptcy administrator for the case.
While the decommissioning is taking place, efforts continue to find new owners for the various Northvolt companies. Regarding the recycling plant Revolt, there is 'an ongoing process,' and for Labs in Västerås, a sale may be imminent.
– Labs has been forced to downsize somewhat, but negotiations are ongoing with a potential buyer for it, yes, says Kubu. For the large battery factory in Skellefteå, the situation is worse now than when production was active.
This is something Kubu has been clear about throughout the spring. But he has not given up hope.
– There are still interested parties for battery cell manufacturing. Discussions are being held with – what should one say – newly emerged interested parties.
The battery factory in Skellefteå had many thousand employees. The company went bankrupt on March 12 this year.
So new interested parties have emerged in the past month?
– Yes, they have. You could say that one party has dropped out and another has joined, yes.
Are the new parties European?
– I don’t want to comment on that. They are foreign actors, says Kubu, who once again emphasises that selling the entire operation now is a much greater challenge than before.
– A buyer won’t be able to take over an operational factory.
But there’s still a chance it could be shut down in June, remain idle for a while – be maintained – and that someone might still take it over later?
– Yes, that chance exists.
When asked about his hopes for that scenario, Kubu gives a general response, similar to what he has said before.
– The starting point is much more difficult now than when the factory was in production and a significant number of employees were working there, he says.
Vad som händer med fabriken är ännu oklart. Enligt konkursförvaltaren har nya intressenter visat intresse den senaste månaden.
If a sale is unsuccessful, the next step is to liquidate the assets, and then explore alternative uses for the facility, according to the administrator.
– There is, of course, also that option, says Kubu, who appears to have a busy summer ahead.
– This is an assignment you live with, but there are many of us working on it. It’s a constant stream of questions and problems that need to be solved, he notes.