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File photo of a Hygreen factory. SUR
Chinese companies Hygreen and Sermatec choose inland Malaga town to open electrolyser and battery factories
Business

Chinese companies Hygreen and Sermatec choose inland Malaga town to open electrolyser and battery factories

Both businesses are backed by a Malaga investor and have settled for locations in Humilladero

Nuria Triguero

Málaga

Tuesday, 4 February 2025, 09:29

Chinese firms Hygreen and Sermatec are opening factories producing industrial components for clean energy in Humilladero. The plants will manufacture electrolysers, which are crucial in the production of green hydrogen, and lithium batteries, used primarily in solar and wind farms.

The location was chosen after the companies' joint announcement last summer to invest in the province following Andalusian president Juanma Moreno's visit to China. The companies initially looked for space in Malaga but eventually had to extend their search elsewhere. Now they have acquired the land in Humilladero's Tecnoparque and intend to finish construction by 2027.

Hygreen and Sermatec's link to the province comes from one of their main investors, Javier Romero, a businessman from Malaga who has been based in China for many years. He is the founder and chairman of the investment fund Chinalink ESG, the second largest shareholder of Hygreen Energy and the majority shareholder of Sermatec. He is also CEO of Hygreen's Spanish subsidiary, and hopes to build a green hydrogen hub in Andalucía. The company already has a factory in Huelva and works with Coxabengoa to produce components in Seville.

The University of Malaga (UMA) has signed several agreements with the two Chinese companies. Both will collaborate with the UMA in research and development and the training of chemical engineers and other specialised profiles in their fields of activity.

"We already have experience working with the UMA," said Javier Romero. Romero has reviewed several research projects undertaken with the university, focused on the development of next-generation catalysts and the use of artificial intelligence to improve them. The rector, Teodomiro López, highlighted the university's experience in providing training and microcredentials.

What will the factories be like?

Romero explained that Sermatec's factory in Humilladero will be the first lithium battery factory outside China and will employ more than 2,000 people. The plant will take on the complete production process of these large, high-capacity storage devices.

The batteries are used to store energy from solar and wind farms, as well as in industries or shopping centres that want to be able to plan electricity consumption. According to the initial project announced last year, the factory will require an initial investment of 60 million euros and will cover 10,000 square metres.

The Hygreen electrolyser factory will be of a similar size and the investment in machinery and technology will cost at least 50 million euros, according to the preliminary report published in August 2024.

Javier Romero has said that this plant will create 1,000 jobs and will take over the entire manufacturing process of the electrolysers, with the aim of supplying the European and North American markets.

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surinenglish Chinese companies Hygreen and Sermatec choose inland Malaga town to open electrolyser and battery factories