The bankruptcy administrator aims to have a binding purchase agreement in place during the summer. Thereafter, a new owner could gain access to the battery factory in Skellefteå, Nortvholt Labs in Västerås, and the headquarters in Stockholm a few months later.
Two more interested parties have emerged, so there are now a total of five interested parties looking at a whole consisting of the battery cell factory in Skellefteå, Labs in Västerås, and of course the headquarters in Stockholm, says Mikael Kubu at Ackordcentralen to TT.
There may be additional interested parties looking at a smaller part, such as Labs, he adds.
A quick deal is crucial
For the bankruptcy estate, a quick deal is crucial.
Even if you don't have any production, it costs a lot of money to just own such a huge factory, says Kubu.
He adds that it may become difficult from a buyer's perspective to get the right skills for the facilities if it takes too long.
They are complicated machines that you must know how to use. It's a complex factory, he says.
Battery cell production at Northvolt Ett in Skellefteå has been shut down and personnel needs are limited.
When we look at Northvolt as a whole, we have offered around 160-170 people a short-term contract, during the summer, of which maybe half in Skellefteå, says Kubu.
Hazardous waste
The personnel will also work with the recycling factory Revolt, where the focus is on machine maintenance and handling hazardous waste.
Kubu does not want to speculate about the level of the indicative bid that has been received.
But the alternative value - to dismantle the machines and sell them in parts - well, it's a vanishingly small amount you get for that type of property. Therefore, the purchase price is very low in relation to the invested capital, he says.
It will also require significant investments from new owners in competence, facilities, and customer contacts to get the business up and running again.
Secured lenders will seize virtually everything that can be collected in the event of a sale of the factory and Northvolt labs. Other creditors may possibly receive a small dividend, depending on how much the bankruptcy estate can get for intangible rights.
