Chinese electric battery producer CATL has followed in Intel’s footsteps and announced that it is abandoning its plans to construct a factory in Jaworzno in southwestern Poland.
The move comes after a series of setbacks for the Polish economy, with CATL’s decision seen as a major blow. The company will no longer construct a factory in the Jaworzno Economic Zone, as revealed by the city’s mayor, Paweł Silbert, through social media channels.
Silbert wrote on social media that CATL’s withdrawal can be attributed to delays in securing adequate electricity supply, with the mayor also emphasizing infrastructure and utility provision shortcomings.
CATL is the world’s largest maker of electric vehicle batteries and already has a presence in Europe, including in Hungary where it is building a battery production plant worth €7.2 billion.
Intel’s redirection of investment towards establishing semiconductor factories in Germany instead of Poland adds to the speculation about Poland’s attractiveness to significant investors like Intel. The shift underscores uncertainties about Poland’s standing regarding Intel’s future plans and could also make other large corporations second-guess Poland as an investment location.
