Chinese company Hithium held its ‘Open Day in Navarra’ at the Baluarte Congress and Auditorium, a landmark event to strengthen ties with the region’s industrial ecosystem and advance the integration of the local value chain into its future energy storage plant. The event was attended by the President of the Government of Navarra, María Chivite, and the Chinese Ambassador to Spain, Yao Jing, alongside a broad representation of Navarra’s companies, associations and industrial partners.
“A decision based on facts”
President Chivite stressed that Hithium’s choice of Navarra «was no coincidence», but rather «a decision based on facts»: a strong industry, a specialised supply chain, leading technology centres, universities committed to innovation and highly qualified talent. «We want more industry, but we also want it to be more innovative, more digital, more sustainable and with greater added value. And it is within this context that Hithium’s arrival makes perfect sense», she noted.
The Regional Minister for Industry, Mikel Irujo, emphasised that Hithium has chosen Navarra because it has «a solid industrial ecosystem» built up «year after year», and described the project as an opportunity to «put Navarra in the global spotlight» and move towards new economic drivers within the framework of the twin transition. The Regional Minister for Economy and Finance, José Luis Arasti, highlighted Navarra’s «economic soundness», which places the region «in a privileged position at European level».
The project also has the backing of the Spanish Government, which is supporting the investment with €81 million in European funds, in line with its objective of making Spain a European hub for clean energy.
Hithium’s vision: growing alongside local industry
Jeff Wu, founder and president of Hithium, made the company’s internationalisation model clear in a video message: «Meaningful globalisation is not just about selling products around the world, but about investing, manufacturing and providing services locally, growing alongside local industries». Wu highlighted that Navarra has a solid industrial base, a highly skilled workforce and an open investment environment — factors that give Hithium «great confidence in its future development».
Over the next three years, the company will advance the construction of its European manufacturing base, deepen cooperation with local partners in supply chain, logistics and talent development, and aims to make Navarra one of its key production centres in Europe and a new benchmark for industrial cooperation between China and Spain.
A concrete roadmap
The event included sessions on corporate strategy, project planning, technological strengths and the localisation roadmap, with particular focus on local supply chain requirements and talent development programmes. Drawing on the experience of its plant in Texas, Hithium shared practical insights into local operations and supplier collaboration, offering a roadmap applicable to the Navarra project.
The event confirmed Hithium’s commitment to its «local for local» philosophy and consolidated the consensus between the Government of Navarra, the company and its industrial partners on the next steps of the project — a project that, according to all parties, has the potential to make Navarra a key hub for Europe’s energy transition.
Source: Navarra Capital