— By Plasteurope.com correspondent — 

Building materials group Kingspan (Kingscourt, Ireland; www.kingspangroup.com) has been given the go-ahead to build a EUR 280 mn manufacturing plant near Lviv, in western Ukraine.

According to the company, preparatory groundwork for the site is underway, with the majority of the facility slated for completion by 2030.

Once open, Kingspan’s new plant will employ more than 700 workers. In a statement, the firm added, “The new campus will be a low-carbon facility, powered by low-carbon solutions including renewable energy, and will manufacture advanced insulation, as well as other building material products and district heating solutions.

“The building technology deployed combined with the materials produced at the campus, will play an important role in Ukraine’s reconstruction effort and help meet the rapidly growing demand for energy efficient buildings and facilities, which are essential,” the company said.

Related: Kingspan buys US insulation board maker Minnesota Diversified Products

Kingspan’s Ukraine project director Mike Stenson said obtaining planning permission for the facility had been an important milestone for the firm. “We were among the first Western businesses to announce plans to invest in Ukraine since [Russia’s] full-scale invasion, and we have been fully committed ever since.” The company first announced its plan three years ago.

“Working closely with officials local to the site and Ukraine’s Ministry of Economy and Ukraine Invest, we’re very excited for our vision at this stage to become a reality,” Stenson added.

Kingspan was heavily criticised in a report published in September last year following a marathon public inquiry into the 2017 Grenfell residential tower block fire, in west London, in which 72 people died. The report said Kingspan had made “disingenuous” claims about its insulation material, K15, which was used in the block’s 2014 refurbishment.