3 foreign companies in the running for award in Flanders

Aurubis, a world market leader in copper production and recycling, made two recent investments in Flanders. In Beerse, the German company is building a hi-tech facility for processing anode sludge, allowing it to extract precious metals, tin and lead from this intermediate product. The company’s site in Olen will also have a state-of-the-art recycling plant. Thanks to investment project BOB (Bleed Olen Beerse), Aurubis will extract copper and nickel from the bleed originating from its plants in Olen and Beerse.

From these optimally recycled metals, Aurubis aims to create new value, all while using the metals responsibly, contributing to Europe’s circular economy, and reinforcing Flanders’ role as a “metal valley”. With the latest investment, Aurubis is channeling EUR 103 million into the Olen and Beerse sites, creating 52 jobs.

Based in Flanders, Pfizer Puurs is one of Pfizer’s largest manufacturing and packaging units worldwide and the largest vaccine plant in the world. In late 2022, Pfizer Puurs announced a new investment project on three fronts: more production capacity, additional cold storage capability and enhanced packaging lines. 

This EUR 1.2 billion investment will create 250 jobs and highlights how the American pharmaceutical giant, wants to anchor itself even more firmly in Flanders. The medicines and vaccines produced by Pfizer in Puurs are exported from the Flanders-based site to 170+ countries, boosting Flanders’ export figures in the process. 

Plug is investing EUR 350 to 400 million to build one of the largest green hydrogen plants in Europe in the Port of Antwerp-Bruges. Using its PEM electrolyzer, the 100MW plant expects to produce 12,500 tons per year of liquid and gaseous green hydrogen for the European market. For this American green hydrogen company, it is its first European production plant, located on the port’s NextGen site – a hotspot for the circular economy. Green hydrogen will be transported by tank trucks and trailers, in addition to the hydrogen pipelines expected operational in 2026, developed by Fluxys. 

Plug’s investment project will accelerate energy transition, help decarbonize the economy, and create 50 direct jobs. 60% of Europe’s purchasing power is located within 300 miles of the facility, creating important strategic hydrogen connections in Europe for Flanders.