Jonava is creating an Industrial park for sustainable investments

The City of Jonava, located in the very center of Lithuania, stands out for its well-developed industrial sector, but recently the City authorities have been trying to modernize the companies operating in the area, become less polluting, and reduce the use of fossil fuels.

For this type of business, as well as for new industrial enterprises, the Jonava District municipality is preparing a 43 ha plot in the village of Venice, where the Jonava Industrial park will be created.

“We kindly invite businesses to set up in this new large area. We are looking for investors who could come and create new jobs in Jonava. I hope that in the next few years the entire territory will be covered,” says Mindaugas Sinkevicius, the Mayor of the Jonava District.

The industrial park is being built in a convenient location, next to the most important company in the region “Achema”, the largest fertilizer factory in the Baltic region and the largest Lithuanian exporter. 

The park is bordered by Highway A6, there is a railway nearby and the service and maintenance area for the NATO eFP Battle Group is being developed close to the park.

The residents of Jonava will reach the workplaces located in the industrial park within 10-15 minutes, while residents of Kedainiai, Ukmerge, Elektrenai and other regions will be able to reach them within one hour.

Vilnius and Kaunas airports are also close enough - they can be reached in less than 2 hours. Klaipeda seaport can be reached by rail and road.

“The industrial territory proposed for development is large enough, so we estimate that the long-term attraction of foreign direct investments can reach up to 200M EUR”, says Mr. Sinkevicius.

The Ministry of Economy and Innovation of Lithuania plans to allocate 8.6M for the construction of Jonava Industrial park. The total amount of investment in this project will depend greatly on other state institutions and especially on state-controlled companies such as ESO, which directly operates electricity supply networks and plans all related investments.

“We cannot single out one or another industry and give priority to someone in our Industrial park. When planning to adapt the territory for investments, we aim to use the funds of the Just Transition Fund (EU JTF). This program encourages industrial companies to choose a green course, which is why we also focus on creating sustainable jobs and competitiveness”, says the Mayor of Jonava.

A total of 165M EUR is provided for the transition of Lithuanian industry to climate-neutral production in the EU JTF. To create sustainable jobs by investing in the creation and development of industrial territories, and to attract investors – another 97.6M EUR.

The City of Change

The City of Jonava is a relatively young city that began to form only in the first half of the 18th century.

Nowadays about 30,000 people live in the city. Due to the small and compactly built residential area, Jonava is presented as a “7-min. City”: here you can get from one point to any other in just seven minutes.

The renovation of multi-apartment houses is particularly active in Jonava, and the network of bicycle-pedestrian paths connecting the coast of the river Neris, ponds, city parks and squares is being expanded. 

Recreational islands, benches, fitness equipment and children's playgrounds located next to the paths provide an opportunity to spend a pleasant time in the green oases of the city as well.

In 2023 the City of Jonava won first place in the “City of Change” competition. It was recognized as having changed the most in the last 10 years thanks to European Union investments.

The City of Jonava and its district are being developed as a harmonious center of smart industry, logistics, innovation and national defense, nurturing multicultural traditions, distinguished by a developed, environmentally and family friendly infrastructure.

Business in Jonava

Compared to other regions of the republic, Jonava has low rental prices for plots of land and a large number of qualified labor force.

A new mobile connection technology started in Jonava in 2023 – Jonava became the first city in Lithuania equipped with a 5G connection.

The most important company in the region is “Achema”, which has 1,400 employees, whose average salary is around 1,200 euros.

According to Mr. Sinkevicius, there are several large industrial facilities in the district of Jonava, but these modern companies have not been an obstacle to living in a clean environment for a long time: “Achema” independently carries out an environmental monitoring program, measures and evaluates the impact of the company's activities on the air and the river Neris. 

Notably, the monitoring data does not exceed the permissible limits and is published regularly. The municipality also conducts independent environmental quality and noise measurements, and we constantly inform the public about the results, which is why the residents feel safe”.

The neighborhood of industrial companies encourages the municipality to invest more in green urban spaces, high-quality water and other public infrastructure that would be favorable to the environment.