Nalonchem (Quimica del Nalon) participated in a conference on the future of industry in Avilés.
For more than 80 years, the company has been manufacturing intermediate products for key basic industries, such as iron smelting, rock wool production, primary aluminum, electrodes, and carbon black.
“To maintain industrial sovereignty, it is not only crucial to have access to critical raw materials, but also to have the capacity to process them,” said the company representative. “That is why it is necessary to extend industrial sovereignty to the intermediate chemical products derived from those critical raw materials. Without them, the energy transition will not be possible,” he added, citing coking coal—one of the EU’s critical raw materials—as an example, from which foundry coke and pitch are produced, both of which are essential for that transition.
He also noted that to the list of vulnerabilities in the European chemical industry (access to critical raw materials, high energy costs, regulatory pressure, supply chain fragility, and international competition, among others), one must add the capacity to produce these and other intermediate materials that is, focusing not only on critical raw materials but also on their value chains.
In his view, the European Union’s industrial strategy must combine sovereignty, competitiveness, and ecological transition; that is, decarbonization that allows for the maintenance of production, employment, and technical expertise to preserve those value chains critical to Europe.
The event, held at the Avilés Chamber of Commerce and organized by the Avilés branch of the Popular Party, also featured other companies such as ArcelorMittal Spain, Asturiana de Zinc (Glencore), Chemours Spain, Alusin Solar, and Tess Defence. Representatives from organizations such as the Asturian Federation of Entrepreneurs (FADE) and the steel industry association (Unesid) also spoke.
The students learned about Deganta’s participation in the #AvilésIndustriaCircular project, developed by Asturian Federation of Entrepreneurs (FADE and the Avilés City Council to study new developments in the circular economy, particularly regarding water circularity and reuse.
