The Norwegian government has cleared the zoning plan for Eiktyr Industrial Park in Orkland
The approval provides a planning basis for Elinor Batteries’ proposed gigafactory on site
Elinor is targeting 2030 for the start of operations, according to the latest municipal update
Three years after announcing plans for a battery gigafactory in Norway, Elinor Batteries has reached a major planning milestone after the government approved the zoning plan for Eiktyr Industrial Park, where the battery project is planned.
The proposal underwent years of planning and environmental impact assessments before the Norwegian Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development approved it. According to Elinor, the approved plan incorporates some changes to reduce the project’s environmental impacts, which will have minor implications for its planned development.
Located in Orkland, the Eiktyr Industrial Park will host complementary industries that can share infrastructure, resources and energy, including Elinor’s Gigafactory project.
Elinor produced its first lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery cells in partnership with the research institute SINTEF at its Trondheim laboratory. The company plans to manufacture batteries for stationary energy storage at Eiktyr Industrial Park.
According to Orkland municipality, Elinor is targeting 2030 to start operations.
In 2024, Elinor announced a partnership with China’s Morlus Technology. At the time, Elinor said, “The agreement means that Elinor will be ready with its own batteries for commercial sale in Europe within six months – currently produced at Morlus' factory in China.”
The gigafactory project will be located near Norway’s tech capital, Trondheim, connecting the site to the research and development community. This, as per Elinor, will create opportunities for collaboration across the battery value chain.
“Eiktry brings together the scale, renewable power and proximity to leading technology environments that battery manufacturing requires,” said Elior Batteries CEO Anne Fredrik Lånke. Elinor Batteries is backed by Valinor, a Norwegian family-owned investment company.
With zoning approval in place, Lånke said the project has secured political approval at every level, from local to national.
The ‘large-scale’ manufacturing at Eiktyr will cater to the European demand for energy systems, transport, and industry, added the CEO.