Kronospan to invest another 150 million euros in Catalonia

The Catalan government and the multinational company Kronospan signed an agreement in which the Austrian company will promote a new OSB (Oriented Strand Board) production line in Catalonia for boards made with recycled wood. This new project will involve a further investment of 150 million euros and the creation of 75 new direct jobs.

The announcement was made at Kronospan's facilities in Tortosa (Catalonia) by the Minister of Business and Labour, Roger Torrent, the Minister of Territory, Ester Capella, and the General Manager of Kronospan, Javier Macicior. The new line will be located in the company's 25-hectare factory to produce wooden boards.

According to the Minister of Business and Labour, Roger Torrent, "This new investment is a strategic boost for Catalonia. It will bring jobs and prosperity to the region and contribute to strengthening the Catalan productive system." Torrent noted the government's support for the project because "it contributes to the objective of reindustrializing Catalonia with sustainable industry" and "it will help to boost the local economic fabric and the whole of Terres de l'Ebre."
 

Torrent recalled that this agreement was possible thanks to the "joint work" of the government - through three different departments - the company and the municipalities, and thanked "all parties for their collaboration and willingness to compromise."

For her part, Minister Capella underlined the commitment of the Department of Territory to stimulate economic activity throughout the country. "Not only do we provide the country with transportation infrastructure, but we also promote industrial land in sectors of economic activity; quality sectors that create value, that are sustainable, competitive, well connected and allow people to move around the territory."

"In this case - she added - we coordinate two actions: the development of the land and the connection to the railway infrastructure".

The head of Territory recalled that the Department is drafting an urban development master plan "intending to reorganize a sector of 675 hectares of economic and logistics activity, with a future access to the railway network, and to enable the implementation of an intermodal goods terminal".

Finally, the general manager of Kronospan, Javier Macicior, has highlighted the "unconditional commitment of Kronospan for Catalonia, and for Tortosa, l'Aldea and Baix Ebre in particular", and the interest to make Tortosa and Catalonia "the center of the iron and steel sector of the peninsula", with an investment of more than 600 million euros. He also announced the future creation of a wood cluster for which more than one million square meters of land have already been acquired. He also emphasized "Kronospan's commitment to the circular economy and green energy". In this sense, he said, "The boards currently manufactured in Tortosa are made of 100% recycled wood, and Kronospan is finishing a 10MW photovoltaic installation on the cover of the conglomerate line, and we are analyzing the feasibility of installing a small wind energy generation park in the area".

The multinational started building its first production plant in Tortosa in 2021 with an initial investment of 180 million euros. With the new project, Kronospan's total investment in Catalonia now exceeds 600 million euros and creates 250 direct jobs. According to the company, its activity will generate an additional 1,500 indirect jobs.

This production plant, which is already fully operational, is a sustainable project based on the principles of the circular economy, as it works with 100% recycled wood from household furniture that has already reached the end of its useful life. The expansion announced today will involve the creation of a new production line oriented to manufacturing OSB panels from wood baskets, with new applications in emerging sectors, such as sustainable construction. Headquartered in Austria, Kronospan has 50 production plants worldwide and a workforce of more than 15,000 employees.