Portugal has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese company CALB for the construction of a factory for the production of batteries for electric vehicles in Sines. This was announced by Economy Minister Antonio Costa Silva, who confirmed this Wednesday in parliament the government’s plan to negotiate international investment in the construction of the first gigafactory in Portugal.
The statements were made as the minister answered MPs during the 2023 state budget hearing, and despite not naming the China Aviation Lithium Battery Technology (CALB) promoter, he has already notified local authorities that he has signed a 3- th number. dated November, a memorandum of understanding with a company controlled by the Portuguese Agency for Investment and Foreign Trade (AICEP), responsible for attracting foreign investment and managing the Industrial and Logistics Zone of Sines (ZILS).
According to the company’s latest report, AICEP Global Parques has a 2,375-hectare industrial park in the municipality, while ZILS has industrial and service areas.
Thus, it is in Sines that Chinese investors will be able to build a plant for the production of batteries for electric vehicles, a project that, according to the minister, will allow the country to complete the entire lithium value chain, and which could supply the main Portuguese factories that assemble cars in the country. namely Volkswagen Autoeuropa in Palmela, Stellaantis in Mangualda and Mercedes in Tramagal.
The information, which has now been confirmed, was already put forward last week by Sines Mayor Nuno Mascarenhas. Then, in statements to the Lusa news agency dated November 3, the official said that Sines was one of the hypotheses. “This is one of the privileged places for CALB, as we have all the conditions here, but this is only the first intention,” he said.
On the same day, CALB released communiqué which refers to the signing of a memorandum of “acquisition of surface rights with the intention of establishing a world-class intelligent, computerized and automated factory with zero carbon emissions” in the country.
On this occasion, Costa e Silva noted: “Sines can become an environmentally friendly shipping hub, I am absolutely convinced that green hydrogen, ammonia and methanol are the fuel that will power the marine fleet in the future, and if Sines survives all this investment, be absolutely determined. In addition to all this, one of the major investments is being made by a large international battery company that wants to manufacture batteries in Xining. (…) If that happens, with all the work we do with Volkswagen, Stellantis, Mercedes and other brands, we want to be the country that is at the forefront of electric mobility. These are difficult negotiations, but we are moving forward.”
