The Generalitat says it has sealed a commitment to buy the Tres Xemeneies complex and surrounding land from the Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona, the Barcelona metropolitan authority, for €42.7 million. The purchase covers the three chimneys, the old electricity substation and adjoining plots on the Sant Adrià de Besòs and Badalona boundary, and it matters now because it puts the planned Catalunya Media City project under direct regional control, with potential effects on local building works, business space and jobs near the Besòs waterfront.

In an official notice, the Catalan government said the acquisition will let it take ownership of the facilities and future office space linked to the planned audiovisual hub. For residents in Sant Adrià and Badalona, that means the next updates on works, access and land use are expected to come through the regional project and local councils rather than through the metropolitan landowner alone.

The government announcement states that the purchase will be carried out through the Consorci del Besòs, the public consortium overseeing regeneration in the Besòs area, which will pay AMB €42.7 million. The Generalitat described the move as a new push for Catalunya Media City, the audiovisual and digital production project planned for the decommissioned former thermal power station.

The purchase price and the funding already identified

The €42.7 million figure comes from the Generalitat's official statement on the agreement. The same statement says the operation will allow the Catalan administration to hold the whole site tied to the future hub.

Funding linked to the project has appeared in earlier official documents. A 2023 Spanish government announcement authorised a €60 million grant for the Catalunya Media City audiovisual hub. The Generalitat has said part of that state funding is being channelled through the Consorci del Besòs for the Tres Xemeneies operation.

The broader redevelopment framework is also reflected in earlier public documents, including the Projecte VESTA agreement published by the Generalitat's open data portal and the Consorci del Besòs 2023 management report, which records financing and planning linked to the Tres Xemeneies redevelopment area.

  • Buyer: the Generalitat, through the Consorci del Besòs
  • Seller: AMB, the Barcelona metropolitan authority
  • Price: €42.7 million
  • Location: the former Tres Xemeneies power plant area between Sant Adrià de Besòs and Badalona

What it means locally for residents, workers and businesses

For local residents, the immediate significance is administrative clarity. A single public buyer now has a defined route to control the main landmark site and the plots planned for the media complex, which can affect future works around the seafront edge of Sant Adrià, the Besòs river mouth and nearby routes into Badalona.

For workers and companies, the purchase matters because the Generalitat says the site is intended to host companies and facilities linked to audiovisual production. That does not mean jobs are guaranteed today, but it does mean the public authority leading the scheme now says it will own the land and installations needed for future business occupation.

For small local businesses, especially in Sant Adrià and northern Sant Martí, the practical issue is timing. Construction phases, new workspaces and changes in footfall usually arrive later than purchase agreements, so traders will need to watch for planning and works notices from the councils and the project portal.

"El Govern dona un nou impuls al hub audiovisual del Catalunya Media City: Tres Xemeneies," the Generalitat said in its official announcement.

Where readers can track the next official updates

Readers who live or work near the site can follow the Generalitat's Catalunya Media City portal for project announcements. Local planning and municipal updates are also published by Sant Adrià de Besòs council and by Badalona city council on the urban planning framework.

Readers who want to understand how BARNA handles official source material can also check our Source Transparency and Editorial Policy pages.

Badalona city council has already published that its full council approved the urban master plan for the Tres Xemeneies area, while Sant Adrià has outlined the shaping of the Catalunya Media City surroundings in its own notices. The Generalitat's purchase commitment is the latest formal step recorded by the public bodies involved.

Primary sources: Govern de Catalunya (Generalitat de Catalunya), Generalitat de Catalunya (Open Data), Barcelona City Council, Ajuntament de Barcelona (Sant Martí District), Departament de Cultura de la Generalitat de Catalunya, Ajuntament de Badalona. Reported by Infobae (Agencia Oficial), Consorci del Besòs, Ajuntament de Sant Adrià de Besòs, Catalan News (Official Press Agency), El Periódico Barcelona.