Niche Fused Alumina factory in La Bâthie (France) and the white corundum market
30.10.2024
Question for written answer E-002343/2024
to the Commission
Rule 144
Pierre Jouvet (S&D)
Located since 1893 in La Bâthie in the Tarentaise Valley, in the French department of Savoie, the Niche Fused Alumina factory is one of the last in Europe to produce white corundum, an essential mineral for the strategic industries of the future, such as the aerospace, automotive and medical sectors.
In 2016, the Commission opposed a bid by the Imerys Group to buy the plant, thereby preventing the creation of a European champion.
After more than a century, the future of the plant is now threatened by the collapse of white corundum prices on the market. China has begun selling white corundum some 25% cheaper on average than Niche Fused Alumina. In 2024, a Chinese factory is selling white corundum for a price at which a French factory buys the raw material to manufacture it.
- 1.What mechanism does the Commission intend to put in place to tackle Chinese dumping of white corundum?
- 2.Will it eventually include white corundum in the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism?
- 3.What specific support is it planning for European industrial SMEs?
Submitted: 30.10.2024