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János Lázár, Minister of Construction and Transport, held a press conference at the industrial park in Makó (southern Hungary, near Szeged) on Monday, where he stressed that the development of the Southern Great Plain region is a priority for the government.
The Ministry of Construction and Transport is working on two priority projects in Csongrád county: the extension of the drinking water and wastewater network of the Makó industrial park, and the infrastructure development related to BYD’s investment in Szeged. The infrastructure development of several hundred billion forints needed for the automotive investment in Szeged will be implemented entirely by the ministry. This includes the connection of the new car plant to the M5 motorway, the construction of a new terminal and rail link to the Szeged-Budapest line, and the construction of the necessary drinking water and wastewater capacity, Minister Lázár said.
BYD’s investment is a development opportunity for the whole region, especially for those settlements that are ready to receive automotive suppliers,”
he stressed, adding that Makó is one of them. This is guaranteed by the M43 motorway and the fact that the government is planning to renovate the railway line connecting the city with Szeged, and is also considering the construction of a new suburban railway, a tram-train, the Minister noted.
BYD Dolphin Mini. Photo: Facebook/BYD
The Chinese subsidiary of COFCO Packaging is building a food packaging plant in Makó with an investment of HUF 27.5 billion (EUR 70.7 million).
The technical handover is scheduled for October, the trial operation will start this year, and the plant will be operating at full capacity next year, the Minister underlined.
China is the biggest investor in Hungary today, he noted. In addition to the Chinese industrial investments in the county, the politician highlighted the construction of the Budapest-Belgrade railway line. This is a “pilot project” for China in Europe, because it is the first time that Chinese safety and control technology is being used on the European Union’s rail network, he said.
The 119-hectare Makó industrial park currently has around 50 companies. There is a need to expand the park by at least 100 hectares, which the government is ready to support,
the politician said. In connection with the development of Benepack Hungary Kft. in the industrial park, the development of the drinking water and sewage network was launched recently with a budget of around HUF 3 billion (EUR 7.7 million). In addition, the natural gas and electricity capacities supplying the area will be expanded, the Minister added.
Mayor Éva Erzsébet Farkas noted at the event that Benepack Hungary Kft. will produce aluminum cans at its new plant. The investor chose Makó because it wants to serve its beer and soft drink production partners in the neighboring countries, mainly Romania and Serbia. Last May, the municipality decided to allocate 10.1 hectares of land in the industrial park for the construction of the plant. Construction of the 25,000 square meter production hall and associated service facilities started in February.
The first phase of the investment will create 150 new jobs, and the company aims to make further improvements by 2026.
Via MTI, Featured image: MTI/Lehoczky Péter