Project Bulletin: October 10, 2023

Rendering courtesy of InoBat

Under the name “Project Lion,” Slovakia-based energy equipment company InoBat is bringing its second Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) facility to Cuprija, Serbia. “Project Lion has progressed well,” said InoBat CEO Dr. Tara Lindstedt in the official release. “Earlier in the year we signed an MOU with the Minth Group to collaborate across the battery value-chain in Europe, starting with Serbia, focusing on green energy supply for our factories, materials and recycling. Our decision to locate InoBat’s second CEE facility in Serbia was in part influenced by Minth’s long and positive experience there.” Located in central Serbia, the Serbia Giga Factory and Recycling project allows the company to grow capacity to meet demand it’s experiencing at its Voderady, Slovakia, mini-Giga Factory. The over $2 billion project, which is expected to be operational by 2025, is supported by $431 million in grant funding and tax incentives from the Serbian government. Initial capacity for the facility will start at 4 gigawatt-hours (GWh), eventually growing to 32 GWh.

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The Bay 3 PE unit will support operations at TotalEnergies’ Port Arthur, Texas, site (pictured).

Photo courtesy of TotalEnergies

Last week, energy company TotalEnergies and chemicals company Borealis AG announced that operations for their $1.4 billion polyethylene (PE) facility have officially begun. Located outside of Houston in Bayport, Texas, the facility is the second milestone for the Baystar JV, which opened its Port Arthur location last year. The additional unit, named Bay 3, will add 625,000 metric tons of PE per year for a combined total of over 1 million tons per year. Bay 3 features Borstar® 3G technology, which has been licensed for use in North America for the first time, allowing for sustainably produced, advanced value-added polymers. “The arrival of Borealis’ proprietary Borstar technology in North America by way of Baystar marks a crucial step for us in becoming a global leader in advanced and sustainable chemicals and material solutions,” said Borealis CEO Thomas Gangl. “Expanding and deepening our footprint through Baystar enables us to better serve customers and partners by offering improved access to Borstar-based products produced right here in North America.”

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New technology and two new production units support demand for Nestlé’s Purina pet food brand.

Photo courtesy of Nestlé

Switzerland-based food company Nestlé is planning on expanding its presence in Hungary with a $246 million investment. The Purina brand pet food facility, located in the country’s Vas County, originally expanded in 2017 with the addition of two new filling and production lines. At that time and still today, this location represents the largest pet food manufacturing plant in Europe with 90% of product exported to over 50 countries. This investment will allow the company to increase output by 66% with the introduction of robotic machinery to produce an additional 100,000 tons of pet food annually. Nestlé announced that this project will create 280 new jobs on site. “As one of the largest employers in the region, the Nestlé Purina factory in Bük will create more than 500 new jobs in the city between 2020 and 2025, thanks to its vigorous development and continuous investment,” said Nestlé Hungary CEO Péter Noszek.

Reports compiled and written by Alexis Elmore