Construction work is ongoing at a major new electric vehicle (EV) battery plant in northeast Spain, with the project between global automaker Stellantis and Chinese battery giant CATL set to create thousands of local jobs and deliver a major economic boost to the region. Stellantis and CATL aim to have the new gigafactory in Zaragoza, located in the Aragon region, up and running by the end of 2026 and, with a joint investment of over 4 billion euros. The new plant aims to produce 1 million EV batteries annually by 2028. The small town of Figueruelas, home to just 1,000 residents, is soon poised to welcome 2,000 Chinese experts who will help construct the nearby gigafactory, creating 4,000 direct jobs and numerous indirect opportunities. Local businesses are already excitedly preparing for the influx of newcomers which is set to energize the area. "We're run off our feet, we're delighted, working hard, because of course, the Chinese workers are coming and now countless companies see big opportunities. They want to build, they want to promote, they want to buy, so it's been a bit crazy with all the inquiries about the zone," said Esperanza Calvo Gonzalez, a real estate agent of Garlan Group in Zaragoza. The town is no stranger to large-scale industrial projects. Since automaker General Motors established a factory next to Figueruelas in 1982, the town has helped build five generations of vehicles including the popular Opel Corsas and Peugeot 208 hatchback vehicles which have been seen on roads across Europe. The successful attraction of the massive investment from Stellantis and CATL can be attributed to several key advantages in Spain's Aragon region, according to Javier Martinez, director general of Economic Policy for the Aragon Autonomous Community. "First of all because the Stellantis plant that already exists here is highly efficient at a European level. Another reason is that we have a lot of land. Aragon is 10 percent of Spain but has a small population, 89 percent of the energy we produce is renewable, and that was important to CATL. Then, of course, the good relations between China and Spain, and particularly between China and Aragon, are important, it's a very fluid relationship," said Martinez. This gigafactory could mark just the beginning for Spain as it looks to position itself as a key location for global players to set up shop, with Chinese EV maker BYD soon deciding where to locate its next European mega production site. SHOTLIST: FILE: Zaragoza, Spain - Date Unknown 1. Aerial shots of under-construction factory site; 2. Street, vehicle moving; 3. Exterior of local bar; Zaragoza, Spain - Recent 4. SOUNDBITE (Spanish, dubbed in English) Esperanza Calvo Gonzalez, real estate agent, Garlan Group (ending with shot 5): "We're run off our feet, we're delighted, working hard, because of course, the Chinese workers are coming and now countless companies see big opportunities. They want to build, they want to promote, they want to buy, so it's been a bit crazy with all the inquiries about the zone."; FILE: Zaragoza, Spain - Date Unknown 5. Aerial shots of Figueruelas town; Aragon, Spain - Recent 6. Javier Martinez, director general of Economic Policy of Aragon Autonomous Community walking, discussing with reporter; 7. SOUNDBITE (Spanish, dubbed in English) Javier Martinez, director general, Economic Policy, Aragon Autonomous Community (partially overlaid with shots 8-9): "First of all because the Stellantis plant that already exists here is highly efficient at a European level. Another reason is that we have a lot of land. Aragon is 10 percent of Spain but has a small population, 89 percent of the energy we produce is renewable, and that was important to CATL. Then, of course, the good relations between China and Spain, and particularly between China and Aragon, are important, it's a very fluid relationship."; FILE: Zaragoza, Spain - Date Unknown [SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 8. Aerial shot farmland; 9. Aerial shots of wind turbine, factory construction site; [SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 10. Aerial shots of traffic on bridge, wind turbine, factory construction site, town. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]