Lithuania's Merko Statyba to build NATO training complex in Pabrade for EUR 110 mln

VILNIUS – Lithuania's construction company Merko Statyba will design and build a training complex in Pabrade, Svencionys District, for more than 110 million euros. Pabrade is home to the Lithuanian army's General Silvestras Zukauskas Training Area.

On February 14, the Lithuanian company and the NATO Support and Procurement Agency signed a contract, Merko Statyba said on Wednesday, adding that construction is expected to be completed by 2026. 

Approached by BNS, Saulius Putrimas, CEO of Merko Statyba, refrained from providing more information on the contract.

The National Defense Ministry told BNS that new infrastructure would be built within the territory of the Pabrade training ground to accommodate incoming NATO Response Force. 

"Once this project is implemented, the Pabrade training area will become one of the most modern in the Baltic states and will be able to accommodate up to 3,000 allied troops. It will provide suitable conditions for exercises, recreation, logistics and technical support. This infrastructure will be used by the NATO Forward Presence troops, US battalions and troops from other allied countries coming to Lithuania," the ministry told BNS.

The 13 facilities to be built in Pabrade will include barracks, a canteen, equipment repair workshops, helipads, a multifunctional center, roads, parking lots and other facilities. 

In addition to the complex in Pabrade, three new battalion-size military sites are currently under construction in Lithuania, in Silale, Siauliai and Vilnius District, and they are being developed under a private-public partnership.

"These sites are also one of the most important military infrastructure development projects that will provide the necessary conditions for the growing army's the readiness," the ministry said.

Based on information on the NSPA website, German construction company Feps and Feka, a Turkish construction industry group, also took part in the design and construction tender for facilities in Pabrade and Siauliai, called last year.

In November, Merko said it had received an order worth around 7 million euros to build a NATO training center in Vilnius, which is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2024. The National Defense Minister then told BNS that infrastructure needed for the army would be built, without providing further details.