The first European production center for lithium batteries in Porto Marghera?
Alkeemia will commit to a 21 million euro investment to become one of the first producers of lithium salts for batteries for electromobility
As reported by the news agency Energia Oltre , Alkeemia, a company active in the fluorine chemistry sector, led by CEO Lorenzo Di Donato , intends to put on the plate 21 million euros, 10 of which granted by the Intesa Sanpaolo branch of Cagliari, to following the positive assessment of the Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center's Circular Economy Desk, assisted by the SACE Green Guarantee , for the complete revamp of its industrial site, located in a territory that has always been strategic for the chemical industry and for energy production. In its Porto Marghera plant, Alkeemia has a production capacity of 27 thousand tons of anhydrous hydrofluoric acid destined for the fluoropolymer, refrigerant, agrochemical, metal treatment and oil refining industries. The company is also active in the production of synthetic calcium sulphate, with a capacity of over 100 thousand tons per year used in the fertilizer, cement and construction markets.
THE REVAMP OF ALKEEMIA
The funds, in particular, will be used to purchase the latest generation machinery, more efficient and with a lower environmental impact, in order to completely renew production in 2024-2025. In short, the intention is to create a center in which to develop what is needed to make lithium batteries, as explained by CEO Di Donato: "the plant aims to become the new European platform for research, development and production. of processes related to fluorine, in particular for those oriented to the lithium-ion battery industry ».
The ambition is to become "among the first producers of lithium salts for batteries for electromobility", considering that today lithium salts are produced only in Japan, Korea and China. "Europe is lagging behind – says Di Donato – and we want to fill this void" through a project that represents "a strong commitment to sustainable development in the European industry of electric mobility and energy storage".
THE SALE IN 2021 TO THE UK FUND
Alkeemia, until October 2021 controlled by Fluorsid , a group of production and sale of fluorine derivatives for the aluminum industry, now belongs to the London-based investment company Blantyre Capital Limited, founded in 2016 by Mubashir Mukadam, former Head of European Special Situations of KKR and before that CEO of York Capital. Mubashir began his career at Bankers Trust / Deutsche Bank. Blantyre manages capital of over € 1.6 billion on behalf of institutional investors such as public and private pension plans, loans, foundations, private funds and family offices.
OTHER ASSETS SOLD
With the same transaction, Fluorsid, which had set up Alkeemia spa in 2018 by buying the Solvay plant in Porto Marghera, sold the subsidiary and the related assets, i.e. the Porto Marghera plant in Italy and the 50% stake in Cf Carbons in Germany. CF Carbons is a producer of chlorodifluoromethane (HCFC-22 or, more commonly, R22), operates in the plant inside the Industry Park Hoechst, in Frankfurt, whose current production capacity is around 24,000 MT / year. The other 50% shareholder is Nobian (Nouryon Industrial Chemicals Gmbh), a European producer of chlorine derivatives, such as chloromethanes. The group in 2021 had a turnover of almost 42 million euros, with an operating loss of 2.4 million euros and a net debt of 10.7 million euros.
OTHER INVESTMENTS IN ITALY
The handover to the British fund alarmed the Italian unions, worried about the fate of the 70 workers in the factory which is one of the main producers of anhydrous hydrofluoric acid (AHF) in Europe. But in Italy there was talk of Mubashir Mukadam also at the end of November 2020, when he acquired a complex of 16 thousand square meters at Tronchetto: 5 of the 6 blocks mostly vacant, intended for commercial use, shops and offices. The transaction was carried out through Shire, a real estate fund under Italian law managed by InvestiRe sgr and fully subscribed by a vehicle belonging to Blantyre Capital Limited. The aim of that operation is the redevelopment of the area. At the time, it was the second investment that Blantyre had made in Italy, after that of the previous July, when the Shire fund had acquired 4 hotels in Rome, Milan and Venice Mestre.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/a-porto-marghera-il-primo-centro-europeo-di-produzione-per-le-batterie-al-litio/ on Mon, 31 Oct 2022 05:44:01 +0000.