PARIS – An electric car battery plant planned by Chinese company Envision AESC in northern France will create at least 1,000 new jobs, a French politician said.

Two sources familiar with the matter said this week that Renault had chosen Envision to manufacture batteries for its future electric vehicles, including the future Renault 5.

Xavier Bertrand, of the opposition party Les Républicains, candidate for his re-election as head of the Hauts-de-France region, confirmed Envision’s investment in the French plant, AFP reported.

Bertrand, quoted by AFP, said that the 1,000 jobs that will be created initially could reach 2,500 in the longer term.

The investment and job details are expected to be confirmed by President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, the sources said. One of the sources said the plant involved an investment of around $ 2 billion euros Envision.

The Douai battery plant will complete Renault’s electric car pole known as “Renault Electricity“born from the pooling of three of its factories in the north of France, Douai, Ruitz and Maubeuge. The hub aims to produce 400,000 vehicles per year by 2025.

France is trying to push its own national champions to produce car batteries, although politicians have praised the Chinese investment.

ACC, a company backed by Renault rival Stellantis and Saft, a unit of TotalEnergies, will also have a battery plant in northern France.

The abandonment of diesel engines in the automotive industry is likely to lead to job losses in the years to come, or to push automakers to retrain workers and find new avenues of job creation, under the pressure from politicians.

Last year Renault announced plans to cut 4,600 jobs in France to cut costs, 10 years after carmaker Peugeot PSA, now part of Stellantis, underwent a drastic restructuring.