The Romanian Nokian plant will receive state aid

The European Commission, in accordance with EU rules, has approved the Romanian government's provision of €99.5 million in financial aid to Nokian, which is currently building a carbon-neutral tire factory in Oradea.

The EC notes that the project's financing will "contribute to the creation of new jobs, economic development and increased competitiveness of the region".

In total, Nokian plans to invest around €650 million in the launch of Romanian production, with the construction of the factory starting in May 2023. The plant's capacity will be around 6 million tires, with the possibility of increasing it in the future. The first Romanian Nokian tire was manufactured on July 1, 2024, and commercial production is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of next year.

After Nokian left Russia, the company lost 80% of its passenger tire production capacity, resulting in the expansion of factories in Finland and the USA and the construction of a new production site in Romania. Additionally, companies such as Sentury and Kumho have started producing tires for Nokian.