ECONOMIC NEWS: Foreign investments in Belgium 1. Foreign investments in Belgium 1.1 Praxair (US) builds second plant in port of Antwerp By 2016, USA-based atmospheric and process gases producer Praxair will open a second air separation plant in Antwerp, Belgium. The new plant will boost Praxair’s production capacity, thereby meeting the growing demand for oxygen and nitrogen in the region. On top of that, Praxair will also extend its pipeline system in Antwerp. These investments will allow the company to supply gaseous oxygen and nitrogen to the majority of chemical companies operating in Antwerp. The new plant will also serve customers in the pharmaceutical, chemical, glass, cement, metal fabrication and food industries in Belgium and the Netherlands. shipping.seenews/news/praxair-to-build-2nd-air-separation-plant-at-port-of-antwerp-360761 1.2 Suzlon Energy (India) sets up 325 MW wind farm in Belgium Indian energy concern Suzlon Energy has announced completion of the installation of 48 wind turbines at the Flanders-based offshore wind farm, Thornton Bank. Flanders-based organizations ABB and THV Seawind were among the installation partners. The project was carried out by Suzlon-subsidiary Repower Systems SE. “We are very proud to have installed the largest fleet of turbines in the world just off the coast of Belgium” Andreas Nauen, CEO of Repower Systems SE commented. The wind farm on the Thornton Bank now has a total output of 325 megawatts; enough to supply 600,000 people with electricity. In terms of investment volume, the contract marks the largest financing deal for a completed project in the offshore wind industry to date. Companies from Belgium, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Sweden are involved in the venture. In this way, the project showcases the efficiency and cooperation of the European offshore wind industry. “The Thornton Bank initiative confirms the long-term potential of this market,” added Nauen. greencleanguide/2013/07/16/325-mw-wind-farm-in-belgium-setup-by-suzlon-energy/ 1.3 Opening of a Décathlon in Verviers from October Décathlon, the sports-shop chain, will be opening its 16th store in Verviers on 18 October. It will provide 45 jobs in all. This store will promote items in its own product-range “in order to make sport accessible to all by virtue of the low prices offered at the shop”, states Herman Van Beveren, CEO of the group, which is looking to expand from 15 to 30 stores in 5 years’ time. Décathlon now has 652 stores in 18 countries, mostly in Europe. RTL INFO – 21/06/201 1.4 Tesla further expands its European network Tesla Motors recently opened its first retail design store in Belgium, at the shopping street Avenue de la Toison d’Or, in Brussels. The Brussels showroom in the heart of the city is truly state of the art and introduces Tesla fans to interactive touch screen experiences; design a car in the design studio or learn how easy it is to GO Electric! The new showroom has opened just in time for the arrival of the acclaimed Model S in Europe this summer. With a strong existing population of Tesla Roadster owners and Model S reservation holders, the Belgians have already shown significant appetite for Model S. This, in addition to a strong corporate leasing market, a segment where Model S competes strongly and is in high demand, makes Belgium a very attractive market for Tesla. teslamotors/about/press/releases/new-retail-design-store-opens-brussels 1.5 Sumitomo (Japan) invests in wind energy in Belgium Japanese trading company Sumitomo has announced that it will acquire a majority stake – worth EUR 100 million – in Belwind and Northwind, the new wind farms off the coast of Belgium owned by Flanders-based supermarket chain Colruyt. The construction of offshore wind farms is very capital intensive and soon amounts to hundreds of millions of euros. Thanks to the Japanese investment, both the Parkwind and Belwind wind energy parks will be able to speed up their operations. Recently, more and more Japanese companies, e.g. Mitsubishi and Mizuho, have shown interest in renewable energy abroad. In Belgium, Sumitomo has already invested in chemicals, real estate and transmission gears. sumitomocorp.co.jp/english/news/detail/id=27017 1.6 Picard (France) opens stores in Belgium French market leader in frozen food Picard will open a store in Antwerp at the beginning of next month. Other branches in Antwerp and in Bruges are scheduled to open this year as well. Last year, the French retailer opened its first stores in Brussels, the capital of Belgium. Back then, Picard had already announced its intention to open 60 to 70 stores in Belgium.. “We’re delighted with the results of our stores in Brussels so far,” says Frédéric Bobee, Managing Director of Picard Surgélés Belgique. “That’s why we’re confident about the success of our retail formula in Belgium. retaildetail.be/nl/belgie/food/item/14658-picard-surgel%C3%A9s-wil-zestig-winkels-in-belgi%C3%AB 1.7 Alpro to create 25 new jobs in Belgium Pioneering soy-based food producer Alpro has confirmed its intention to invest EUR 32 million in a new production and packaging line at its plant in Wevelgem, Flanders. The investment will lead to twenty-five new jobs and will be spread out over the next few years. Alpro recently introduced a new packaging method involving cartons with a screw cap. Its production plant in Wevelgem requires a new packaging line in order to produce this new packaging design. The new facilities are scheduled for completion by 2016. alpro/corporate/en/press/company 1.8 Franklin Templeton opens office in Belgium Franklin Templeton, one of the world’s leading investment advisors, has opened an office in Brussels. With a client list of over 22 million private, professional and institutional investors worldwide, the company advises on investment strategies across business and industrial sectors, time zones and investment vehicles. As the world’s largest cross-border fund manager, the company serves investors in more than 150 countries. capital-life.be/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/franklintempletion_thumb.jpg 1.9 PSA opens new terminal at port of Zeebrugge Container terminal operator PSA International officially opened its new terminal at the port of Zeebrugge, Belgium. The new terminal features berths with a maximum depth of 17 meters, and is equipped with cranes capable of reaching across twenty-four rows of containers. Singapore-based PSA International is one of the largest port management groups in the world, and already runs the Container Handling Zeebrugge (CHZ) terminal at the port. Situated north of the Albert II dock, the new terminal required an investment of around EUR 100 million. According to the port of Zeebrugge, the terminal’s quay cranes are the largest in Europe. internationalpsa/psanews/pdf/nr130721.pdf portofzeebrugge.be/en/node/516 1.10 DB Schenker opens new pan-European hub in Belgium Germany-based logistics provider DB Schenker inaugurated its brand new pan-European logistics site in Zwevegem, Belgium. With a price tag of USD 13 million, the state-of-the-art company site offers infrastructure for national and international land transport. “With more than 5,000m2 of space for operations and 2,900 m2 of office space, the new facility provides optimal conditions for high-quality services and future growth,” said Ulrich Pütz, head of the national company Schenker NV. “This allows us to provide our clients in the region with access to the most prominent growth markets in Europe.” On top of that, the new hub has optimal connections with the national and international transportation network. “In this way, we can offer our clients a complete logistics service, from national and international transport, over sea and air freight to intermodal logistic concepts,” says Pascal Duhamel, branch manager of the new site in Zwevegem. schenker.be/log-be-en/start/hub_Zwevegem_en.html 1.11Air Liquide builds new production unit in port of Antwerp French chemical concern Air Liquide is set to build a new production unit for carbon monoxide in the port of Antwerp, Belgium. The investment of around EUR 50 million will boost the production intended for German chemical concern BASF. Recently Air Liquide engaged in a long-term contract for the supply of carbon monoxide to the MDI (methylene diphenyl diisocyanate) division of BASF in the port of Antwerp. To be able to deliver the negotiated supplies, Air Liquide will build a new plant complementing its existing production unit and doubling its local production capacity. airliquide/en/press/press-releases/air-liquide-doubles-its-hydrogen-production-capacity-in-antwerp.html 1.12 Vestas (Denmark) builds offshore hub in Ostend Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas and Flanders-based wind farm operator Parkwind have joined forces to build a new hub for offshore activities in Ostend – an investment worth roughly EUR 4.5 million. From the hub, which consists of two separate buildings, both companies will perform maintenance operations on the offshore wind farms Northwind and Belwind. Vestas takes up residence in a new building of 1,310 m². 50 new people will be employed to operate the facilities. Parkwind, for its part, is hiring 15 more people to work in the new Rebo building alongside the Zeewezendok in Ostend. Both companies will establish themselves in the hub by spring 2014. vestas/
Posted on: Wed, 02 Oct 2013 14:48:31 +0000
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