The decarbonization hub (D-Hub), the main candidate for the reindustrialization of the former Nissan, has secured guarantees worth 48 million euros, 60% of the guarantees it initially had to provide according to the aid granted in the PERTE for electric vehicles, as reported by ACN. The banking entities that have guaranteed the hub are mainly the Andorran bank Andbank, the first to enter the equation, CaixaBank, Abanca, Banco Sabadell and Avalis, a company dependent on the Departament d'Economia.
The group, led by the Catalan companies QEV and Btech, assures that the "driving projects" of the reactivation plan for the Japanese automaker's factories will be able to move forward. "The guarantees ensure the development and implementation of the hub's driving projects, focused on electric vehicle production," states the D-hub in a statement sent in the early hours of the morning. The group was negotiating until the last moment to secure the guarantees that would allow it to receive aid from European funds.
Throughout last week, the members of the hub already warned that they were considering waiving part of the planned investment and leaving it for the next call for aid. Initially, it was to receive 107.8 million euros from the Ministry of Industry, the third project with the most resources from the PERTE, but will finally receive 65 million euros. The group of companies led by QEV and Btech, therefore, has given up 40% of the investment and plans to make it later. In fact, the Ministry of Industry has opened the door to another PERTE call, after only 30% of the initially announced 2,250 million euros were awarded in the first one.
The operation involves the participation of the Institut Català de Finances (ICF). Thus, the banks will assume the risk of the operation and the Generalitat's body will act as a counter-guarantor. Initially, the ICF offered to directly provide resources, but the move was denied by the Government because it does not have a recognized banking license.
The hub has requested aid for a project that has not yet started because the tender to manage the land of the former Nissan, promoted by the Consorcio de la Zona Franca, must first be completed, which has ended up with the hub as the sole candidate. The winner of the process will not be confirmed until the end of the month.