Europe's Battery Sector Loses Another Player: Morrow Batteries Declares Insolvency

Morrow Batteries, one of the few European companies engaged in battery cell production, has announced its insolvent status and has initiated bankruptcy proceedings for itself and its subsidiaries. The Norwegian company intends to cooperate with the appointed administrator to preserve the industrial value built and maintain some operations.

The company inaugurated a plant in Arendal, its headquarters, in the summer of 2024 dedicated to the production of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) prismatic cells. The annual capacity of the facility was 1 GWh, a relatively modest volume that would be sufficient to power about 25,000 small cars equipped with 40 kWh batteries.

According to industry observers, this scale has proven insufficient to attract large automotive manufacturers and compete with operators of significantly larger scale. For instance, PowerCo, a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, has indicated a capacity of 20 GWh per year for its Salzgitter plant.

Further Details on Morrow Batteries

Supported also by Siemens AG, Morrow Batteries had presented an ambitious four-phase expansion plan to bring the Arendal site to a total of 43 GWh. However, the plan was never realized due to the lack of adequate investors and the difficulties encountered in ramping up production at the existing facility, which never reached true mass production.

Even in January 2026, the company had declared itself ready to start commercial production and aimed to accelerate technology validation through strategic partnerships and long-term supply agreements. In the meantime, however, the global battery market has become more competitive, with an oversupply and strong pressure on prices.

Board Chair Ann Christin Andersen explained that the combination of higher capital costs, delays in industrialization, and reduced availability of investment has made it impossible to secure the necessary funds in the expected timeframe.