New allegations in the case of the Northvolt factory

 In the case of the establishment of a Northvolt battery factory near Heide in Schleswig-Holstein, there is the allegation of possible bias against community representatives. It concerns a payment from Northvolt to hunting associations.

"The discussions between the two concerned community representatives and Northvolt were not known here in the administrative office," said the Senior Administrative Officer Björn Jörgensen to the German Press Agency.

Previously, the “Bild” newspaper had reported.

Jörgensen said that the payment made by the company was also not known to the administrative office.

"There were no indications to examine bias in connection with hunting." He was confronted with this incident for the first time early in the week through a press inquiry. "I do not yet have a complete picture of the situation, but I am confident that the suspicion of bias can be dispelled in both cases."

District Administrator Thorben Schütt told dpa that, in the opinion of the local oversight of the Dithmarschen district, there is generally no bias in the case of hunting leaseholders and those entitled to exercise hunting rights in a hunting association.

"Against this background, there is no reason to repeat the vote according to the current state of knowledge."

The district learned of the alleged facts on Monday.

Northvolt paid 3,000 euros

A Northvolt spokesperson said that the issue of reducing existing hunting areas by the hunting association of Lohe-Rickelshof, the neighboring community of Norderwöhrden, was addressed as part of the planning procedure.

In addition to compensations for various impacts during the construction of the factory, a voluntary settlement in a symbolic amount of 3,000 euros each for the two hunting associations, not for individuals, was set for the loss of hunting areas.

"Accordingly, there were no considerations from individuals," said the spokesperson. The hunting association Norderwöhrden requested the payment on May 16, 2024. The money was transferred by Northvolt to the account of the hunting association on August 14. "Northvolt has no knowledge of the use of the sum by the hunting association."

Tight Decision

With a vote of four to three, the municipal council of Norderwöhrden approved Northvolt's plans to build a battery factory near Heide on January 22, 2024. A few days earlier, the second site municipality, Lohe-Rickelshof, had already unanimously made the corresponding decisions.

The professor of Public Law at the University of Oldenburg, Volker Boehme-Neßler, told the «Bild» newspaper, "Anyone who has their own interests at stake can no longer impartially decide for the common good. Since two biased council members voted, the decision on the zoning plan is unlawful."

Northvolt intends to produce battery cells for up to one million electric cars per year in Heide. The starting signal for the construction of the 4.5-billion-euro project was given at the end of March 2024 by, among others, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Robert Habeck (Greens). According to earlier reports, Northvolt plans to begin the first cell assembly in Heide in the second half of 2027. The factory ramp-up will follow afterwards.