For several days, the Élysée Palace and Bercy have been making the first investment announcements in carefully orchestrated communications for the seventh Choose France summit dedicated to foreign investors, which will take place this Monday at the Château de Versailles. .
Bruno Le Maire, in particular, announced two large-scale industrial investments this weekend aimed at decarbonization. The first concerns the Swiss startup KL1, specialized in critical minerals – rare minerals, but useful in particular for the energy transition or digital technologies – which plans to build an oil refinery in Blanquefort (Gironde), near Bordeaux.
“This is where Ford closed its car production ten years ago,” recalls the Minister of Economy. It’s great to see that a site with a rich history could see a new innovative and ambitious industrial project see the light of day. »
France will be able to produce fully electric cars
Therefore, 300 million euros must be invested in this future Blanquefort site. With 200 jobs and a production target from 2027 on “active materials” for the production of cathodes for electric batteries: that is, 20,000 tons of refined nickel per year and 1,500 tons of cobalt.
“Today only China has the ability to produce such material,” recalls the Bercy tenant. With this investment, France will be able to cover the entire EV value chain, including mines, refining, cathodes, batteries and vehicles. Enough to keep our country among the great automotive-industrial powers of the 21st century. »
A second investment has also been announced: startup Lilium. The young company, based in Munich, Germany, aims to drive innovation in the aviation sector by producing small electric vertical take-off aircraft.
At the Versailles exhibitions, the company is due to announce its opening at a future site planned in New Aquitaine, which will handle both the production of its devices and the remanufacturing of its own batteries. Investment amount: 400 million euros and 850 jobs created. “Commissioning should take place within two years,” we further clarify in Bercy, “since the company already has an order book for 780 devices. »
Government assistance possible
Investments by these companies could be accompanied by subsidies for their integration into the French industrial structure for the purpose of decarbonization. “For example, the KL1 oil refining project is eligible for a green industry tax credit,” said people close to Bruno Le Maire. This makes it possible to cover a portion of the total cost of investment of about 20% or even a little more in so-called regional aid areas where unemployment is high and economic development is less. »
As for Lilium, negotiations are underway to activate the Strategic Product Guarantee (GPS), which allows the government to provide a loan guarantee associated with the construction of the plant.
Source: Le Parisien
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