The European Commission has approved Poland's €36 million investment aid to LG Chem for the construction of a new electric vehicle batteries plant. The aid is in line with EU State aid rules and will contribute to the development of the Dolnoślaskie region while preserving competition. The investment will support LG Chem's €325 million project to build a manufacturing plant for lithium-ion batteries, which are used in electric vehicles. The plant is expected to create over 700 direct jobs and supply batteries for more than 80,000 electric vehicles per year in the European Economic Area.
The European Commission has found Poland's €36 million investment aid to chemical company LG Chem for a new electric vehicle batteries plant in the Dolnoślaskie region to be in line with EU State aid rules. The aid will contribute to the region's development whilst preserving competition.
The €36 million investment aid granted by Poland will support LG Chem's €325 million investment in a new vertically integrated manufacturing plant for the production of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries in the Dolnoślaskie region of Poland. Li-ion batteries are used in electric vehicles and the new plant is expected to supply batteries for more than 80 000 electric vehicles per year in the European Economic Area (EEA).
The project is expected to create more than 700 direct jobs. The manufacturing plant is located in the Dolnoślaskie region, an area eligible for regional aid (Art. 107(3)(a) of the Treaty on the functioning of the European Union).
The Commission assessed the aid measure under the Guidelines on Regional State Aid for 2014-2020, which enable Member States to support economic development and employment in the EU's less developed regions and to foster regional cohesion in the Single Market.
The Commission found that:
- without the public funding, the project would not have been carried out in Poland or any other EU country;
- the aid is limited to the minimum necessary to trigger the investment in Poland rather than outside the EEA;
- the investment aid will contribute to job creation as well as to the economic development and to the competitiveness of a disadvantaged region.
The Commission concluded that the positive effects of the project on regional development clearly outweigh any distortion of competition brought about by the State aid.