Press Release: State aid: Commission clears €15.5 million aid for Sovello’s third solar modules plant in Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany

The European Commission has authorised €15.5 million of regional investment aid for the German company Sovello AG for the production of solar modules in Bitterfeld-Wolfen (Sachsen-Anhalt), Germany. The project involves an investment of €147 million and is expected to create at least 320 new jobs in the region. Germany limited the aid amount to the maximum allowable under EU state aid rules, taking account of aid granted to a previous investment project by Sovello. The Commission found the measure to be compatible with the requirements of the Regional Aid Guidelines 2007-2013, and in particular with their rules on large investment projects. The Commission concluded that, on balance, the positive effects of the investment on regional development outweigh potential distortions of competition induced by the aid.