The Portuguese government has declared the project of installation of an industrial unit for the production of lithium batteries in the Sines Industrial and Logistics Zone (ZILS), by China Aviation Lithium Battery Technology (CALB), is an essential public utility.

The decision is set out in an order signed by the Secretary of State for Tourism, Pedro Manuel Monteiro Machado, and the Secretary of State for Forestry, Rui Miguel Ladeira Pereira, published this week in the Official Gazette.

At the moment, the project has the status of Potential National Interest (PIN), awarded by the government, taking into account the expectations of a strong impact on the national and local economy, with the creation of the lithium value chain, job creation, partnerships with universities and institutions for research and development of technology-based products and implementation and scalability in the unit, among other aspects.

(Source: CLBrief, on October 11)