The Spanish battery industry has been a focal point of political commitment since Reyes Maroto, then Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, joined the government. Four years into the administration, even with new Generation funds supporting two projects, Catalonia remains absent from the two highlighted plans. In an interview with El Periódico de Catalunya on the doorstep of summer, amid expectations that tourism spending will restore pre-pandemic levels, the minister outlined the state of play as of 2023.
Acciona and Envision announced on a Friday the plan to establish a battery factory in Extremadura. Was the government involved in this project? This was discussed after it became clear Envision planned to invest in Spain. The minister stressed the importance of a Spanish partner across projects. Not only was Volkswagen preparing its first giga factory, but a second giga factory was also anticipated in Navalmoral de la Mata, Extremadura. This underscores Spain’s capacity to attract large-scale investment and the need to identify suitable financial instruments and capable actors, according to El Periódico de Catalunya.
The PERTE call for the electric vehicle sector has just closed at midnight on Saturday. How many companies submitted applications? The minister noted the inclusion of Renault with Irizar, Mercedes, Stellantis, and even the future-centric hub proposed for the Free Trade Zone. In total, thirteen tractor project initiatives from thirteen groups were presented, totaling a budget of 5.927 billion euros. The aim is to resolve the process by year’s end, as reported by El Periódico de Catalunya.
Without a gigafactory, is Catalonia sidelined in the electric vehicle race? The minister contends the opposite. The regional project structure is shaping the landscape, with Volkswagen investing across multiple communities, not just Sagunto. Two Volkswagen factories, Martorell and Navarra, are expected to transition to electric platforms, and PERTE support is seen as a meaningful boost for Catalonia. The plan also encompasses the electrification of Nissan facilities, representing two Catalan-born projects within the PERTE framework, as detailed by El Periódico de Catalunya.
But Catalonia was left without a battery factory. The minister explained that site selection was not framed as a loss but as a balanced process that recognized the strengths of different regions. Extremadura received a substantial industrial project that signaled a regional break with traditional industry. Every autonomous community stands to gain, with the industry overall positioned to lead the energy transition, El Periódico de Catalunya notes.
What changed? There was initial hesitation about extracting lithium from the Cáceres mine. Since then, the focus has shifted to building a complete value chain in Extremadura. The plan is to develop industrial capabilities that reshape the regional economy. The battery factory alone is projected to create around 3,000 jobs, a figure the minister hopes will be welcomed by the Extremaduran community, according to El Periódico de Catalunya.
So there will be two battery factories in Spain. There is no more? The minister replied that two factories would be a strong start; reaching two would be a notable achievement, and everyone would be pleased with that outcome, El Periódico de Catalunya conveys.
President Sánchez attended Davos to attract investors for the PERTE chip initiative. Were the efforts successful? The ambition remains high, though the number of semiconductor manufacturers under 5 nanometers is limited. The government is not starting from zero. Intel has already committed a 200 million euro investment in a Barcelona supercomputer. Eleven IECP implementations are under evaluation by the European Commission in the microelectronics space, with Barcelona and the National Supercomputing Centre leading the ambition. Davos meetings yielded constructive discussions with Intel, Cisco, and Qualcomm, and there is outreach to Catalonia, Galicia, and Malaga as possible clusters. The dialogue points toward expanding the PERTE chip ecosystem, notes El Periódico de Catalunya.
What expectations exist for summer tourist arrivals? The minister predicted a return to pre-pandemic levels month by month. By year-end, tourism spending is expected to align with pre-pandemic volumes, though actual tourist numbers may emerge more clearly in 2023, according to El Periódico de Catalunya.
And will the tourist surge extend into July and August? The forecast leans toward a longer shoulder season into autumn. The aim is to extend the summer into October and November while remaining mindful of inflation and its potential impact on competitiveness and travel days, as observed by El Periódico de Catalunya.
Why isn’t there a PERTE dedicated to tourism? A tourism PERTE does exist within a broader Competitiveness and Modernization Plan, totaling 3.4 billion euros, but the investment in tourism ranks as the fourth most important component of the Recovery Plan, according to El Periódico de Catalunya.
Valencian hoteliers raised concerns about maintaining last year’s prices under the Imserso scheme. Is the pricing adequate? Although the ministry does not directly oversee Imserso, a collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affairs aims to align the tourism model with a quality-focused approach. Imserso is recognized as a successful program that requires modernization, with pricing adjustments being a shared objective, as reported by El Periódico de Catalunya.