In 2024, activity at the Port of Dunkirk reached 46 million tonnes, up 5% on the previous year. Liquid bulk traffic rose by 4% to just over 12.2 million tonnes (27% of total activity). Hydrocarbon traffic increased by 15% to 3.1 million tonnes, while LNG activity remained particularly buoyant at 8.2 million tonnes.
Dunkirk, at the heart of the Hauts-de-France electric battery valley, aims to offer a complete range of services for electric mobility.
VERKOR’s gigafactory, with an initial capacity of 16 GWh per year, is currently under construction in the Zone Grande Industrie (ZGI) at Dunkerque-Port. The first new-generation lithium-ion batteries will go into production by the end of 2025.
In addition, at the end of last year, VERKOR and Dunkerque-Port jointly submitted a proposal to the Commission Nationale de Débat Public (CNDP) concerning a possible extension of the Gigafactory’s production capacity. To this end, Dunkerque-Port is studying the development of an initial 70-hectare phase of a new platform, called ZGI 3, located to the east of the buildings currently under construction.
The Gigafactory project by PROLOGIUM, a Taiwanese company specialising in solid-state batteries, is progressing according to schedule. The environmental permit and the building permit were obtained in December 2024, paving the way for a first phase of works in the summer of 2025, compatible with a commissioning scheduled for late 2026 / early 2027.
The joint industrial project between ORANO and XTC NEW ENERGY, now known as NEOMAT, will be submitted to a public enquiry in spring 2025, with a final investment decision scheduled for the summer of the same year. The first phase of development will focus on the construction of a cathode material production unit (CAM). The facilities dedicated to the production of cathode precursors (PCAM) and battery recycling will be developed in a second phase shortly after the launch of the CAM unit.
In May 2024, ENCHEM, Korea’s leading producer of electrolytes for batteries, announced plans to build an electrolyte production and solvent recycling unit in the Dunkirk ZGI zone. This new development represents an investment of €57 million and is expected to create around 100 jobs by 2027.
While ERAMET announced in October 2024 that it was suspending its project to create a hydro-metallurgical reprocessing unit for strategic metals from battery recycling, the SUEZ group, which is responsible for the upstream phase of battery collection and dismantling, has reaffirmed its commitment to pursuing its project.
The logistics players based in Dunkirk are also supporting the structuring and consolidation of the electric mobility sector. PSA BPD, which inaugurated a 22,000 m2 warehouse on the DLI zone in June 2023 to meet the growing demand from the electric battery industry, is currently working with the main regional actors in the sector. The CEVA LOGISTICS terminal for complete new vehicle logistics, located on SRD’s industrial brownfield site at the East Port, has been operational since November and covers an area of 10 hectares. It offers car manufacturers in the Hauts-de-France region a reliable, competitive, intra-regional logistics solution for exporting their vehicles by sea.
Dunkerque-Port is the main sponsor of the BATTERIES EVENT, co-organised by EcosystèmeD and Avicenne Energy. This event will bring together all the players in the battery industry from 1 to 3 April 2025 in Dunkirk.
Dunkirk: A Green port
In 2024, Dunkerque-Port became a member of the new GIP ÉcosystèmeD alongside the Communauté Urbaine de Dunkerque, the Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie and the Communauté de Communes des Hauts- de-Flandres. This GIP is the heir to the GIP Euraénergie, which since 2016 has been driving the decarbonisation and industrial transition of the territory, in particular with the ZIBaC (Zone Industrialo-portuaire Bas Carbone) project.
In June 2024, the D’Artagnan CO2 hub project, led by AIR LIQUIDE and DUNKERQUE LNG, reached a decisive stage thanks to the support of the European Union, which granted it €160 million in aid. The project involves the construction of a pipeline network to transport captured CO2, as well as the creation of a terminal dedicated to the reception, liquefaction, storage and maritime export of CO2. Following a public consultation process completed this year, the administrative procedures are continuing, with a possible investment decision expected during 2025 and commissioning scheduled for 2028.
To meet the expected doubling of electricity consumption in the Dunkirk area by 2040, EDF plans to build two EPR2 reactors with a total capacity of 3,340 MW in the West Port area. If the project goes ahead following the public debate that closed on 17 January, preparatory work could begin in 2026.
Future projects to decarbonise maritime and land transport
The cross-Channel green corridor project, launched in Dunkirk in March 2023, between the DFDS group and the ports of Dunkirk, Boulogne-Calais and Dover, was confirmed at the Choose France 2024 summit. At the summit, DFDS announced a €1 billion investment in all-electric ferries, which will make it possible to establish a green cross-Channel corridor from 2030. Dunkerque-Port will support the decarbonisation of the Dunkerque-Dover roro route by making the necessary investments, in particular to enable electric ferries to be recharged at each port of call. This includes the creation of a source substation to the south of the Dunkerque Logistique Internationale (DLI) zone, a transformer substation at the terminal, and the installation of connection facilities for ferries at quayside.
Starting in September 2025, the CMA CGM group will gradually deploy seven new biogas-powered container ships on its NEFWI (West Indies) service to Dunkirk, thus giving concrete form to the creation of a transatlantic green corridor. These vessels, with a nominal capacity of 7,500 TEUs, will also double transport capacity on this route. Dunkerque LNG, operator of the Dunkerque LNG terminal, has the necessary certifications to supply the molecule.
Finally, at the beginning of 2025, Dunkerque-Port will launch work on a piggyback terminal at the West Port. This terminal, designed to encourage the modal shift towards rail transport of road flows from Ro-Ro, logistics and industrial activities in the Dunkirk area, will enable the transhipment of trailers and swap bodies onto wagons. It will be operational in early 2026. The name of the terminal operator will be announced in early 2025, following the Call for Expressions of Interest launched by Dunkerque-Port.
To reconcile economic development with the preservation of ecological balance, the port has set aside more than 1,000 hectares for biodiversity as part of its Schéma Directeur du Patrimoine Naturel (SDPN).
For over 10 years, Dunkerque-Port has been working closely with the Conservatoire du Littoral to encourage the development of green corridors within the port area. This partnership marks a lasting commitment to preserving the environment. In December 2024, a major new step was taken: an agreement was signed to contribute to renaturation actions beyond the port limits, on Conservatoire du Littoral sites.
