RE: Crux Investor31 May 2021 10:59
Compliments to mafred on HC :
Part of an interview with Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic regarding more than one Gigafactory project at Pravo newspaper, May 29, p.1:…
* Czechia wants to be part of the technological transformation also through lithium mining. How is the preparation in the Ore Mountains continuing? Will it be mined there?
This is another big project we are working on. In any case, if the mining is to proceed, it will be under the control of the Czech Republic, in this case, CEZ. We have fulfilled the promise that lithium will be under our control again. Work is now underway on how to separate mica from lithium. We are working on two projects, I don't want to jinx it, but it looks very promising. Lithium mining is becoming more and more realistic. And here we would like to connect with the construction of a large battery factory, gigafactory. We negotiate on several levels with several foreign partners here. We will publish the first parameters of the first project by the end of June.
* So there are more of those projects? So far, there has been only talk of CEZ' negotiations with Volkswagen, resp. Skoda Auto due to the construction of a battery factory.
It is not written anywhere that there will be only one gigafactory in the Czech Republic. Given that this is gigantic support and the creation of several thousand jobs and is based on negotiations with several partners, I do not want to be more specific at the moment, because we are bound by the confidentiality of the parties to the conditions of the project, location and so on. However, I can confirm that CEZ plays an important role in all the gigafactory projects we are discussing today.
* Is the Korean side involved in the negotiation, for example?
We are also negotiating very intensively with the Korean side. We are discussing this with several partners, but in virtually every one of the projects, CEZ is one of the co-investors. In any case, we want to support at least one gigafactory. There is interest in the world and we cannot afford to stand outside. We are an automotive powerhouse, in the innovation strategy we clearly target higher added value and new technologies. And to a large extent, our approach to gigafactory is perceived positively by Brussels, it is not only an economic but also a psychological step by which we show that the new concept is not foreign to us. In recent months, the Czech Republic has become one of the most active countries in the European Union in this area. I try to present that we are a country focused on digitization and smart energy, and I am surprised at how positively this is perceived.
* And how far is the negotiation with Volkswagen?
The project is already being negotiated, it is in an advanced stage, but with regard to the fact that investors do not wish to comment on the details yet, we are bound by confidentiality.*There is talk that the decision on the location of the factory is to be made this year.I can conf
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