PARIS (Reuters) – German aviation firm Lilium and Swiss nickel refiner KL1 will open new facilities in France, representing a combined investment of 700 million euros ($753.83 million), French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Sunday.
Lilium will invest €400 million in the new plant, which will create up to 850 new jobs. The new KL1 site in Blanquefort, near Bordeaux, will see an investment of €300 million, creating 200 new jobs, Le Maire said.
The exact location of Lilium’s new plant, which will produce electric jets, has not yet been determined, although it will be in the New Aquitaine region.
The deals came as President Emmanuel Macron prepared to open the country’s annual “Choose France” business summit, which aims to attract foreign investment to the country.
“Choose France brings capital, Choose France brings new technologies, Choose France helps us fill gaps in certain value chains,” Le Maire said.
($1 = 0.9286 euros)