“Elysium City“: New Mega Project in the Works for Spain

“Elysium City” is the name of a new mega project to be realized close to the municipality of Castilblanco in the Spanish province of Badajoz (in the autonomous community of Extremadura in western Spain). It comprises two development phases, the first of which is scheduled to be finalized in 2023 at an investment volume of 3.5 billion US Dollar (3.1 billion Euro), including a modern data center, a golf course, a sports and entertainment complex, two hotels, casinos, a theme park resort and a water park. Infrastructure development plans foresee a train station, connecting Elysium City directly with Madrid and Lisbon. The second development phase is to be realized by 2028 – an additional sum of around ten billion US Dollar (8.8 billion Euro) will be invested in the creation of “glamping” facilities, a concert stage, a residential area with a retirement home and a Formula 1 racing track. The 1,200 hectare large site foreseen for the project has already been purchased.

The planning and development company behind the project is Cora Alpha, founded by Disney veteran John A. Cora, who had been with The Walt Disney Company for more than three decades serving as Vice President of Resort Development and in other positions. Cora sees large touristic potential in the Castilblanco region, which is scenically shaped by reservoirs – reportedly, the masterplan for the project has already been finished so that construction works could commence in the next nine to twelve months. María Ángeles Merino, Mayor of Castilblanco, sees in Elysium City the first sustainable construction project in Europe, which will make use of “green“ technologies, including solar energy plants.

Up to 3,000 indirect jobs are to be created with the realization of the first development phase. Once finished, it will be around 15,000 permanent jobs. This number is expected to increase up to 50,000 working places with the completion of the second phase. (eap)