Federal experts supported Burkov’s idea of creating a special economic zone in Omsk

Representatives of the Higher School of Economics and the Russian Academy of Sciences believe that the Omsk project may be of interest to foreign investors and it may well become a growth point for the region.

Speaking to the deputies of the Legislative Assembly with a budget message in September this year, Alexander Burkov noted that today there is not a single specialized site in the region, designed on a turnkey basis and allowing investors to come and immediately launch the project.

“In this regard, I insist on the implementation of two priority areas: the creation of a special economic zone and at least two industrial technoparks. A start has already been made – the territory in the Northern industrial zone of Omsk has been determined for the placement of a special economic zone. It is necessary to initiate the solution of land issues, identify anchor residents and ensure the preparation of an application for the region to the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia, ”the governor emphasized. And the work on the creation of the SEZ in Omsk has already begun. The Ministry of Construction, Transport and Roads of the Omsk Region is working to include the territory of the SEZ in the draft Scheme of Spatial Planning of the Omsk Region. The Ministry of Economy is negotiating with companies; the list of resident enterprises is planned to be formed by the end of this year. The idea of ​​Alexander Burkov to create a SEZ was supported by experts from the Higher School of Economics and the Russian Academy of Sciences. Deputy Director of the Institute for Regional Studies and Urban Planning of the Higher School of Economics Yevgeny Plisetskiy and Head of the Regional Development and Local Self-Government Sector at the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander Vilensky believe that the Omsk SEZ may be of interest to foreign investors and it may well become a point of economic growth in the region. As reported by the Expert Network news agency, HSE expert Evgeny Plisetskiy believes that the creation of a SEZ of technical-innovative and industrial-production types is quite justified as a mechanism to stimulate economic activity, increase investment attractiveness, given that an oil refinery and its products are already operating in the Omsk region in demand.

“If we manage to launch residents who will be engaged in the production of high value added petroleum products, then the SEZ can become a point of economic growth for the region,” the expert shared his opinion. Yevgeny Plisetskiy emphasizes that it is precisely the technical-innovation and industrial-production SEZs, to which the Omsk zone will also belong, that develop in Russia in the best way, in contrast to resort or port zones.

“If you look at the results of evaluating the effectiveness of such SEZs, then over the past five years, the growth of residents there has been about 120% annually, there was a good increase in the volume of customs payments, taxes that are generated within the zones, even taking into account preferential rates, there was a total increase in the number of jobs – on average, from 500 to 1,000 jobs are opened annually in such zones, ”the HSE expert cited the data. RAS expert Alexander Vilensky admits that Chinese companies may enter the Omsk SEZ.

“You can always count on the Chinese, they try to participate everywhere,” said Alexander Vilensky. The expert also notes that petrochemical production is the main industry in Russia. These industries will also develop in the Omsk SEZ, which will increase its attractiveness.