Portugal to produce one-fourth batteries for European cars

• Source: Xinhua
• [08:39 February 14 2011]
• Comments

Japanese car maker Nissan started the construction of a plant in Portugal on Friday to build electric batteries for cars.

The plant, located in Aveiro, 200 km north of Lisbon, will have the capacity to produce 50,000 car batteries per month, about one-fourth of the estimated need for electric cars in Europe.

"This is what our country needs. We need more factories, more jobs, and more production in the technological advanced products. We want to build a cluster for the electric energy in Portugal," said Prime Minister Jose Socrates.

Portugal has unveiled a renewable energy development plan to reduce its heavy dependence on energy imports. Around 60 percent of country's 20 -billion-euro trade deficit was due to fossil energy imports in 2010.