The progress of the project for the construction of internal and connecting infrastructure of the Industrial Park – Northern Zone, was presented today at a press conference in Sliven. The activities are being implemented with the support of the European Union – NextGenerationEU, through funding from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. This is under the procedure ‘Provision of funds from the Recovery and Resilience Facility BG-RRP-3.007 ‘Program for public support for the development of industrial areas, parks and similar territories and for attracting investments /AttractInvestBG/, Component 3 ‘Smart Industry’.

According to the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Stoyan Markov, who attended the press conference, this is the first major project being implemented on the territory of the park. In May this year, construction work began on the infrastructure of the large-scale site, which has so far proceeded in accordance with the preliminary plan.

The progress made on the infrastructure from the start to date was presented by the manager of the Sliven Industrial Park, Solomon Moskona. He informed that significant work has been carried out over these six months according to the plan. All construction and supervision contracts have been signed; the water distribution network, internal sewerage network, and the duct and conduit network for low-voltage cables to provide electricity have been fully constructed. Furthermore, the internal gas distribution network, rainwater drainage network, and physical infrastructure for electronic communication networks have also been built. Moskona reported that at this stage, the financial execution of the two types of infrastructure – connecting and internal – is 54% and 45%, respectively. He explained that these percentages represent the amount of payments made for fully completed activities under the specific project. Regarding the physical execution of construction activities, the manager stated that it is on schedule, with 80% for the internal infrastructure and 70% for the connecting infrastructure. The deadline for the completion of the internal infrastructure of the northern zone is April 30, 2026, and for the connecting infrastructure, it is by the end of this year – December 31, 2025.

Separately from the activities funded under the NRRP, two other additional contracts have been signed – for the construction of a supply gas pipeline and for connection to ‘Electrodistribution South’.

The remaining activities by infrastructure type until the end of implementation are related to the street network and lighting, a sewage pumping station, a road link for the supply gas pipeline, and the construction of a supply electric cable.

“We are optimistic about the schedule, the contracts, and the implementation deadline. I can say that the project will be completed on time,” said Solomon Moskona. After the deadline for the completion of activities at the end of April 2026, state acceptance commissions are to be appointed to commission all constructed infrastructures and connect them to the respective networks.

The total value of the project is nearly BGN 23.8 million, with co-financing amounting to nearly BGN 6 million.

In summary, Deputy Mayor Stoyan Markov emphasized that Sliven Municipality has managed to attract the maximum possible grant funding for the construction of the industrial park in Sliven, which is the largest outside the territory of Sofia and ranks third in the entire country. According to him, the location of the park and its logistics provide confidence that investment interest in the site will be high. The site has significant logistical advantages – it is located next to ‘Burshen’ Airport, 100 km from the port and airport of Burgas, 17 km from the ‘Trakia’ Motorway, and almost equidistant from the capitals Sofia, Bucharest, and Istanbul.

Markov informed that approval has been received for funding the second stage of the park’s construction, which will significantly improve the infrastructure and connectivity not only of the park but also of other businesses and companies located in the southern part of the Industrial Zone. Overall, it will provide another connection to the Sofia-Burgas sub-Balkan road. The second stage will be funded with an additional BGN 28 million under the Integrated Territorial Investment Concept of Sliven Municipality, funded by the ‘Development of Regions’ Program 2021-2027.