The territory of the FEZ "Vitebsk" may be expanded due to a new site in the Novopolotsk region

May 6, Vitebsk / Sergey Kochetov - BELTA /. The boundaries of the Vitebsk FEZ may be expanded to include a new production site in the Novopolotsk region, the head of the Vitebsk FEZ administration, Sergey Stashevsky, told a BELTA correspondent. It is planned that the FEZ boundaries will include two sectors - in the vicinity of the settlement of Borovukha and the territory of one of the Novopolotsk industrial enterprises. The total area of the FEZ may increase by more than 120 hectares. Currently, the FEZ administration, in agreement with the regional executive committee, has developed a feasibility study for the possibility of including these territories in the FEZ, and the draft of the relevant regulatory legal act is undergoing expert review in higher authorities. The inclusion of this territory in the Vitebsk FEZ will make it possible to immediately begin implementing at least two investment projects, Sergey Stashevsky noted. Currently, the total area of the Vitebsk FEZ is more than 2.1 thousand hectares, and it includes 12 sectors located in Vitebsk, Orsha, Postavy, Vitebsk and Orsha regions. For example, at the end of 2010, territories with a total area of more than 900 hectares were included in the FEZ. According to experts, the new FEZ sites have serious investment potential and will allow the implementation of interesting projects with the participation of foreign investors, the volume of projected investments for which is estimated at at least $450 million. For example, OJSC "Orsha Aircraft Repair Plant" has already begun implementing an investment project for production modernization worth Br10 billion. In general, the additional territories create new opportunities for placing innovative, high-tech projects with significant investment volumes in the FEZ, and also provide an opportunity to solve issues of efficient use of production sites, increase production volumes, build up export potential, and reduce tension in the local labor market. The Vitebsk FEZ was established in August 1999. Today, 38 investment projects are being implemented in the FEZ. More than 60% of the residents of the Vitebsk FEZ are joint and foreign enterprises, created with the participation of investors from 13 countries, including Germany, Poland, the USA, the Czech Republic, Great Britain, Russia, Canada, Holland, and Israel. The industrial potential of the FEZ is based on enterprises operating in the fields of mechanical engineering, woodworking, food, chemical, fuel, and light industries. -0-