In an effort to support ammunition production in Finland and Europe, the government of Finland unveiled plans on Friday to construct a new TNT facility.
The explosives manufacturer Forcit of Finland will build the new factory in the city of Pori on the west coast of the country, which is estimated to be worth over 200 million euros ($208 million).
“With this new TNT plant, we are responding to the explosives shortage and the ammunition production problems it causes throughout Europe,” Finnish Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen said in a statement.
“Major importance for increasing European ammunition production,” Hakkanen continued, adding that the initiative will “also contribute to the continuation of long-term support to Ukraine.”
Hakkanen and Forcit signed a letter of intent on Friday to purchase TNT explosives.
Forcit announced in a separate statement that it will invest over 200 million euros in the new facility, but that “there is currently limited capacity for TNT production in Europe.”
“Investing in Finland is an investment in increasing the safety and security of not only Finland but also Europe as a whole,” Forcit chief executive Joakim Westerlund said in a statement.
In an effort to bolster its own defenses and maintain the supply of guns and ammunition to Kyiv, the European Union has been working to increase its weaponry production.
In a letter released Friday, the majority of EU nations urged the European Investment Bank (EIB), the bloc’s lending arm, to boost defense spending.
Nineteen of the twenty-seven nations of the European Union, including Finland, Germany, and France, signed the letter.
“Strengthening the EU’s defence is an existential question for Finland and for Europe as a whole. This means we have to use all the means at our disposal. Boosting private funding is a key priority,” Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said in a statement.
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