The European Commission has awarded a EUR 30 million grant to FORCIT’s TNT production facility project. The investment grant was awarded under the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP).
FORCIT has been awarded EUR 30 million for the TNT production facility currently under construction in Noormarkku, Pori, Finland. The funding was granted under the call for investments in energetic materials, which aims to strengthen Europe’s defence industrial production capacity and improve the availability of explosives and other materials critical to ammunition production.
“The funding decision is a strong recognition of the importance of our project for European defence. The new production facility will strengthen Europe’s self-sufficiency and the availability of a strategically important material. At the same time, the investment will create new industrial capacity in Finland and reinforce Finland’s position as a reliable partner to the defence industry,” says Joakim Westerlund, CEO of FORCIT Group.
The FORCIT production facility will double Europe’s production capacity for military-grade TNT. TNT (trinitrotoluene) is an explosive used e.g. in artillery and mortar ammunition, and demand for it has increased significantly in recent years.
“The availability of TNT is currently one of the most significant bottlenecks in European ammunition production. The production facility under construction in Noormarkku will increase Europe’s own production capacity and strengthen defence industry supply chains”, Westerlund says.
Long-term European cooperation
Once completed, FORCIT’s facility will be the first TNT production plant in Northern Europe. The project is built on long-term European cooperation and involves leading defence companies from across Europe as customers and partners.
Binding supply agreements have already been signed with leading European defence companies for the future TNT production. The project also relies on European technology suppliers, engineering and design companies, and chemical suppliers operating in the Nordic countries and Central Europe.
When operations begin in 2028, the Pori facility will significantly strengthen the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB) and enhance Europe’s defence readiness, security of supply and strategic capabilities.