The strategic industrial commitment of the Korean firm Lotte Energy Materials to Catalonia doubles the investment announced in May 2022, reaching a maximum of 1.2 billion euros. The multinational plans the construction of three plants in Mont-roig del Camp (Baix Camp), one more than those initially planned, as announced today by the Generalitat and the Mont-roig City Council shortly before the approval of the urban development agreement in the municipal plenary session, this noon. Elecfoil, an essential component in the manufacture of electric batteries, will be produced at the Mont-roig plants.
“Lotte's commitment to Catalonia, with a forecast of investment and jobs higher than those initially announced, will allow us to consolidate ourselves as a leading territory in the mobility industry in southern Europe,” highlighted Roger Torrent, the Minister of Business and Labor, in a statement.
The South Korean company plans to build and operate up to three copper foil manufacturing plants (elecfoil) and hire a minimum of 600 direct jobs. Lotte Energy Materials will occupy a total area of 441,400 square meters in the Els Comellarets industrial estate.
The municipal plenary session of the Mont-roig City Council has approved the agreement that begins to make the agreement signed on August 23 in Seoul (South Korea) a reality at the urban planning level. All municipal groups have voted in favor with the exception of the Junts group in Mont-roig, which has reproached the mayor of Mont-roig, Fran Morancho (PSC) for not having informed of the trip to Seoul to close the agreement with Lotte Energy Materials .
The Minister of Business and Labor, Roger Torrent, highlighted in a statement that projects such as the one that Lotte Energy Materials wants to develop in Catalonia “are completely aligned with one of the priorities of this Government, which is the reindustrialization of Catalonia with projects of high strategic value, generators of quality jobs and with a carryover effect.”
The urban planning agreement defines the occupation space, the transfer of the land by the City Council and the creation of green spaces. The municipal legal services are just closing the purchase and sale operation of the land where the Korean giant will be located, according to what Morancho, mayor of Mont-roig, has just announced. "What we want is for the machines to start working with the earth movement as soon as possible, but we are talking about a large-scale project, with a great impact," added the mayor.
"It is the first direct step to define the investment, what were two plants are now three, the investment of almost 700 million will finally be 1,200 million and the creation of up to 600 jobs," Morancho highlighted. The project will be developed in phases, the Department of Business and Labor highlighted in a statement.
The first phase foresees an initial investment of almost 400 million euros for the construction of a first plant. This first copper sheet factory in Mont-roig is scheduled to come into operation in 2025 with an annual production capacity of 30,000 tons of elecfoil and the creation of 200 jobs, the Generalitat has detailed.
The municipal government, led by the PSC, has highlighted the commitment to reindustrialization, the diversification of the local economy and the possibility of attracting new companies linked to the green industry to the south of Catalonia.
The construction of the other two plants, which will also involve an investment of approximately 400 million euros each, will be subject to the execution of the specific schedule of the first factory.
The start-up of each plant will also imply the creation of another 400 jobs, 200 for each planned plant. In total, the development of the entire project would mean the creation of at least 600 jobs, as stated in the urban planning agreement that the City Council approved today in an ordinary plenary session.
