Turkey Powers Up Its Green Future: 100MWh EV Battery Line Launches in Anatolian Heartland

İZMİR / MANİSA – June 10, 2026 – Against the backdrop of rolling wind farms and solar arrays that dot western Turkey’s Aegean region, a landmark 100-megawatt-hour electric vehicle lithium‑ion battery production line officially began operations today. The facility, located in the organized industrial zone of Manisa, aims to supply locally assembled EVs while reducing the nation’s reliance on imported energy storage systems.

The opening ceremony was led by Mr. Ahmet Yılmaz, Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology, together with Ms. Elif Demir, the plant’s production director, and Mayor Cengiz Aydın of Manisa. Over 300 guests, including local suppliers, engineering teams, and representatives from Turkish automotive startups, attended the event.

“This is not just a factory line – it is a cornerstone of Turkey’s 2030 energy vision,” said Deputy Minister Yılmaz. “With our geography rich in wind and sun, we have the renewables. Now we are building the storage. Every battery cell produced here will help stabilize our grid, electrify our transport, and keep our foreign currency at home.”

The new 100 MWh line – enough to fully equip roughly 1,600 long‑range EVs each year – will initially produce prismatic lithium‑iron‑phosphate (LFP) cells designed for commercial e‑buses and light trucks, two segments booming across Turkey’s metropolitan areas. Production is scheduled to scale to 300 MWh by late 2027.

Local landscape, local needs
Manisa lies in the Gediz River valley, a region famous for its vineyards and olive groves but also prone to summer air pollution from heavy diesel traffic. Local communities have long demanded cleaner air, affordable public transport, and stable jobs for young engineers graduating from Manisa Celal Bayar University.

“My family has grown olives here for three generations,” said Fatma Koç, a 34‑year‑old chemist hired as a quality control supervisor. “I love my land, but I don’t want my children to breathe exhaust fumes. Working in battery production means I can stay in my hometown and help bring electric buses to our streets. That is a real dream.”

The battery line will create 210 direct jobs – 70% of them filled by local hires, with a target of 40% women in technical roles, according to Ms. Demir. Indirect employment in logistics, maintenance, and recycling services is estimated at 500 additional positions.

Meeting rising demand
Turkey’s EV market grew by 85% in the first quarter of 2026 compared to a year earlier, yet over 90% of battery cells are still imported. The new line, supported by a consortium of Turkish industrial investors and European machinery partners (no company names disclosed per request), will source lithium carbonate from domestic brine projects in the Salda Lake region and graphite from recycled anode materials.

“Our geography gives us both the renewable energy and the minerals,” explained Ms. Demir. “We have the sun for solar‑charged batteries, and we have the lithium potential underground. This line is the first step toward a closed‑loop battery ecosystem.”

Community and environmental commitments
The facility operates on 100% renewable power purchased from nearby wind and solar plants. A rainwater harvesting system and zero‑liquid‑discharge process have been installed to protect the local Gediz River, which remains a vital water source for agriculture downstream.

Local tradespeople, like Mehmet Polat who runs a small EV repair shop in Manisa city center, see direct benefits. “Right now, if a battery fails, customers wait three months for a replacement from China. With production here, we can diagnose, replace, and recycle within a week. That changes everything for taxi drivers and delivery riders.”

Looking ahead
The Turkish government’s “Domestic Battery Initiative” targets 10 GWh of annual cell production by 2030. Today’s 100 MWh line is a pilot – a proof of concept that local manufacturing is feasible and competitive. Talks are already underway to expand the site with a second line dedicated to stationary energy storage for homes and factories, addressing another urgent need: frequent power outages in rural Anatolia during winter storms.