In a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange, CALB
revealed the signing of a memorandum of understanding with a subsidiary of the
Portuguese Agency for Investment and Foreign Trade (AICEP).
The agreement with AICEP Global Parques provides for the
acquisition of "surface rights, with the aim of setting up a world-class,
highly intelligent, computerised and automated factory with zero carbon
emissions," the company said.
CALB "has not yet signed a legally binding
agreement", so "the cooperation contemplated in the memorandum of
understanding may or may not advance".
The company also mentioned that the eventual installation of
a factory in Portugal would be part of a strategy to create "industrial
bases in Europe".
In December 2021, CALB announced the signing of an agreement
with the German consultancy Drees & Sommer to plan the first plant in
Europe, which could produce batteries with a total capacity of 20 GWh per year.
According to the China Automotive Power Battery Industry
Innovation Alliance, an industry association, CALB was in 2021 the third
largest Chinese manufacturer of batteries for electric cars.
So guessing they are going to have the factory in Portugal will mean that the mining approvals for lithium extraction will happen (if they haven't already been approved). The government needs to be very wary of dealing with the Chinese. Just ask the people of the country of Montenegro.
By David Clark from Algarve on 03 Nov 2022, 23:20