May 31 (SeeNews) - French water and waste management group Veolia is considering investment in an industrial park in Serbia's Smederevo, to be built by China's Hebei Iron & Steel Group, or HBIS, the Serbian economy ministry said on Friday.
Representatives of Veolia participated in a meeting for the presentation of investment opportunities in the industrial park organised by HBIS, which was also attended by China Construction Steel Structure (CCSS), China Metallurgical Construction Engineering Group (CMCC), Anguo Qianjin Nonwoven and Hebei Meikeduo Food Group, the economy ministry said in a statement.
"When it comes to companies, building industrial parks or zones can bring joint industrial activities, reduce costs and accelerate development," the vice general director of HBIS Tangsteel, Yao Li, said.
In September, Dragan Stevanovic, state secretary at the economy ministry, said HBIS plans to start the construction of an industrial park in Smederevo in 2019. The industrial park will be developed in two phases, with the first one scheduled for 2019 and 2020 and the second for 2021 and 2022.
HBIS took over the management and ownership of steel mill Zelezara Smederevo in July 2016 after the Serbian government agreed to sell the plant to the Chinese group for 46 million euro ($51.2 million) three months earlier.
($ = 0.89804 euro)