Sergei Stepashin visits SEZ Alabuga

Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov, Audit Chamber chairman Sergey Stepashin and Russian deputy economic development minister Oleg Saveliev have today visited the special economic zone Alabuga.

They inspected the Rockwool production site, whose launch is scheduled for February 2012. The plant will manufacture thermal insulation materials and will be Rockwool's largest plant in Russia.

Sergey Stepashin displayed an interest in the enterprise’s personnel policy. According to the management, the average salary will be about 25 thousand roubles. Working personnel is slightly a problem but to resolve it, cooperation has been established with the Yelabuga Polytechnic College. To provide housing to the resident firms’ employees, new residential areas are being built. Besides, the city is willing to be a platform for implementing federal housing programmes, including for servicemen.

Rustam Minnikhanov appreciated the city infrastructure. At a meeting, held in the Alabuga’s business centre, the zone’s general director Timur Shagivaleev said 25 residents were registered in the zone, whose total investments were to be 79 billion roubles. The residents have already invested 18 billion, which exceeds the state investment of 15 billion roubles.

“Turkish companies have displayed a strong interest in the economic zone, because, besides various privileges, gas in Russia is three times cheaper than in Turkey,” Timur Shagivaleev holds.

A total of 2,432 jobs have been created here, the number should by 2020 total 17 thousand. “Our chief concern is jobs. We have reserves, plus we can attract residents in neighbouring regions – Udmurtia and the Kirov region. So, no personnel famine should be expected,” President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov said.

Alabuga is by 2020 forecast to house 60 resident companies, whose total investments will be 180 billion roubles. According to T. Shagivaleev, the state investments will pay off by 2016.

The guests went on to tour the P-D Tatneft Alabuga Steklovolokno and Ford Sollers production sites.