The state will support the creation of a new industrial zone in Cheb

The upcoming industrial zone Cheb II could be one of the pillars of the development of infrastructure for the development of autonomous mobility in the Karlovy Vary Region. The city of Cheb, the Karlovy Vary Region, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the CzechInvest agency and the State Investment and Development Company a.s. (SIRS) signed a memorandum on mutual cooperation in the preparation of the zone today. This should significantly speed up its preparation and negotiations with potential investors. It is essential for the city that an investor with a higher added value comes to Cheb and brings highly qualified workers to the region. The zone has been classified as a strategic zone in the Czech Republic. Up to 110 hectares of the 140-hectare park can be used for industry.

"The transformation of the global economy poses a major challenge in the form of the development of new industries with high added value, such as those offered by chips, electromobility or artificial intelligence, among others. The basis for standing out in it is the production of modern technologies, which requires sufficiently large areas that are best prepared for their development," said Minister of Industry and Trade Jozef Síkela (STAN). The preparation of suitable locations is the task of the newly established State Investment and Development Company, which will take charge of the preparation of the strategic business park near Cheb as its pilot project.

According to SIRS board member David Petro, the needs analysis that the zone will require should be evaluated in the third or fourth quarter of this year. According to Sikely, the preparation of industrial zones in the Czech Republic has so far taken too long, around seven years. This has complicated negotiations with investors, who usually demand that three years elapse between negotiations and the start of production. This is where the state-owned company SIRS, which will take over the coordination of the preparation, should play a major role. According to the minister, close cooperation with other ministries is also envisaged.

The Cheb site has significant development potential due to its suitable location, good transport connections, almost uniform property rights and also the terrain. "The signing of the memorandum is the first, perhaps small, but significant step for the town of Cheb and the Karlovy Vary Region. It creates the preconditions for the area, which we call Industrial Park II, to become a real strategic business park," said the mayor of Cheb, Jan Vrba (ANO).

However, today's signing of the memorandum drew criticism from his party colleagues from the regional representative club, who called the whole event a mere PR by Minister Sikely. They also criticize the fact that the memorandum concerns only the town of Cheb and not the entire Caucasus. However, the signatories of the memorandum said today that a project of this scale will undoubtedly affect the entire region.

SIRS will prepare a feasibility study for the park in the coming months. The study will assess in detail the maximum possible infrastructure capacity at the site, taking into account the current demand from strategic investors. The goal is to create a sustainable concept that will be developed in cooperation with the city and the county to minimize the implementation time on the part of the investor.

Cheb is a clear leader in the Karlovy Vary Region in terms of industrial zones. The Cheb I Industrial Park is the largest in the region and is growing in cooperation with the Panattoni development group. Currently, approximately 3,500 people work in many of the companies located here. The Cheb II Industrial Park should be nearby, also along the D6 motorway.

Source: CTK