BUTUAN CITY – San Miguel Corp. (SMC) will shortly start the establishment of its US$500 million electric car battery plant in Dinagat Islands.
Dinagat Provincial Governor Nilo Demerey Jr. has confirmed the battery plant’s opening after his meeting with SMC president and CEO Ramon S. Ang on Wednesday.
“The establishment of the electric car battery plant will commence in September this year,” Demerey confirmed. The plant will be constructed within the company’s 25,000 mining claim in the province, he added.
Demerey said the project “is part of our efforts to industrialize Dinagat Islands and create more job opportunities, increase the income of the province, and uplift the lives of our people,”
He said the construction and full operation of the electric car battery plant would generate about 10,000 jobs. “The components for the manufacture of electric car batteries are already present on the island,” he added.
San Miguel Corporation has mining interests in the towns of Cagdianao, San Jose, and Basilisa. The mining sites are reportedly rich in minerals, such as nickel, manganese, chromite, and iron that are needed for the manufacture of batteries.
“We are now working on the necessary documents and pertinent papers for the start of the construction of the plant in September,” the governor assured.
Demerey has thanked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for supporting the initiatives of the local officials of the Dinagat Islands for industrialization.
“President Marcos is instrumental in this endeavor, especially in the setting up of this battery plant in the Dinagat Islands,” he stressed.
Demerey said other matters between the provincial government and SMC about the construction of the plant, like tax holidays, are still being finalized.