- The specialist in frozen fries Clarebout will set up a factory near Dunkirk.
- Pure Salmon, a subsidiary of a group in Singapore, intends to invest in aquaculture in Boulogne-sur-Mer.
- These two projects alone are expected to create nearly 500 jobs.
In Nord-Pas-de-Calais, we have no sun, but we are well placed. In recent days, there have been numerous announcements of foreign investment in the region.
In late December, the Belgian potato giant, Clarebout, unveiled its plan to set up a factory in Dunkirk. Monday, Pure Salmon announced its intention to build a salmon aquaculture farm in Boulogne-sur-Mer. And it shouldn't stop there.
140 million and 320 jobs for the potato
The North is largely provided with potato producers. It is therefore quite logical that the Belgian specialist in the production of frozen fries, Clarebout, wanted to get closer to the growers from whom he already sources. The family business, which employs around 1,600 people in Belgium, plans to build a new production site of around 20 hectares, the equivalent of around 29 football fields, in the area of large industries in the right-of-way of the port of Dunkirk.
The project provides for an investment of 140 million euros for this plant, which will be the third in Clarebout. According to our information, the factory will operate 24 hours a day to produce 1,400 tonnes of fries, flakes and other specialties every day. The industrialist has planned to create 320 jobs.
All that remains is to obtain administrative authorizations before launching construction. The Environmental Authority has already delivered an opinion on the project, based on the impact study provided by the manufacturer. Several recommendations were made, notably the analysis of the availability of the quantity of water necessary for the operation of the plant, estimated at 1.7 million m3 per year. The Environmental Authority also asked for more details on the consequences of the project on the potato production chain and on the possible increase in heavy goods vehicle traffic.
175 million and 160 jobs for salmon
And with the fries, you will have some fish. By 2023, we should be able to eat salmon raised in Pas-de-Calais. As part of the “Choose France” summit, organized by the government, Stéphane Farouze, director of Pure Salmon and founder of the investment fund 8F Asset Management (Singapore) announced his intention to set up a salmon farm in Boulogne-sur -Sea.
The businessman put forward the figure of 175 million euros of investment for the construction of a factory that will process the entire chain, from the birth of the fish to the manufacture of the finished products. In particular, there will be the entire aquaculture section, including a hatchery and fish growth ponds. The salmon will also be processed and smoked on the spot. And to make it all happen, Pure Salmon has planned to recruit more than 160 people.
To these two announcements, we must add that of the pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca which will inject 230 million euros on its Dunkirk site. In the coming weeks, it is the PSA group which must confirm the construction of a battery manufacturing plant for electric vehicles in Douvrin, near Lens. In the end, 2,500 jobs are announced.
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