Overview
- The Landesverfassungsgericht decided Friday that the state government did not timely inform parliament about known doubts over the Northvolt project's overall financing before key January 2024 committee votes.
- A December 2023 cabinet paper recorded an unsecured overall financing plan and warned that Northvolt's refusal to share financial data could make finding a bank consortium unlikely, a point MPs did not see before their vote.
- In January 2024 the Landtag's finance committee cleared a KfW convertible bond of about €600 million with the federal government and the state each backing half, a decision now criticised because material risks were not disclosed in advance.
- The Landesrechnungshof earlier found that the government did not insist on firm financial documentation from Northvolt and may have breached state budget rules when backing the deal.
- Opposition FDP and SPD demand personnel consequences for senior officials while the government denies deliberate concealment and says it will propose a standardised information format for future projects as questions over jobs, Northvolt's insolvency and a possible Lyten takeover remain unresolved.