Construction of the first plant began at the Bor site of the “Kulibin” SEZ

Construction of the first enterprise – a steel welded pipe manufacturing plant – has begun at the Kulibin Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the town of Bor. The works have been commenced by Nizhny Novgorod Metal Rolling Plant, part of the MetalService Group of Companies. The investor was granted resident status in December 2025.

"The territory of the “Kulibin” SEZ was expanded less than a year ago, and new production facilities are already emerging at the Bor site, which demonstrates its investment attractiveness. The output of the first enterprise will cover a significant share of the regional market's demand for welded pipes used across many industries," noted Egor Polyakov, Deputy Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region.

The plant will produce steel welded pipes of circular, square and rectangular cross‑sections. Total investment volume is estimated at 1 billion rubles, including pre‑project stage costs, with 103 jobs to be created.

The commissioning of the plant's first phase is scheduled for the end of 2026, with the second phase planned for 2027. Upon reaching design capacity, the enterprise is expected to produce 105,000 tons of products per year.

The management company of the “Kulibin” SEZ is the Nizhny Novgorod Region Development Corporation.

"Currently, three companies hold resident status at the Bor site of the “Kulibin” SEZ, and other investors have also expressed interest in it. The Nizhny Novgorod Metal Rolling Plant project is being implemented on a private site. This area is already equipped with all the necessary engineering infrastructure, which allows for accelerated construction timelines, while the existing railway tracks will facilitate the logistics of the future enterprise," said Igor Ishchenko, Director General of the Nizhny Novgorod Region Development Corporation.

For reference, the industrial special economic zone “Kulibin” was established in May 2020 on the territory of the Dzerzhinsk urban district. Today, the Dzerzhinsk part of the “Kulibin” SEZ covers an area of 724,7 hectares and includes the state site (416,7 ha), as well as private sites operated by DPO “Plastic”, “Oka Polymer”, and “Sintez OKA”. The private sites are already equipped with infrastructure. In November 2025, the Russian Government issued a resolution to expand the SEZ territory by another 117,7 hectares, incorporating a site in the city of Bor. The total area of the “Kulibin” SEZ now amounts to 842,4 hectares.