Green economy
Bükk-Sajó Net Zero Valley
A new stage for Miskolc
A new stage in the economic renewal of Miskolc
The economy of Miskolc has long been built on industry and the technical expertise and infrastructure that support it. The city aims to use these strengths to encourage the development of a more modern, higher-value-added economy with a lower environmental impact over the coming decades.
One of the tools for achieving this could be the creation of the Bükk–Sajó Net Zero Acceleration Valley.
The Valley Plan, currently under development, brings together municipalities in the Miskolc and Sajó Valley region.
covered by designated development areas and associated zones.
Kazincbarcika–Berente and Miskolc.
Development focus
Which economic sectors are we considering?
The aim is not to attract a single industry or a handful of specific investments. The Valley is intended to help create an economic environment in which the region’s existing industries can modernise and new technological and supplier activities can emerge.
- Modernisation of the chemical industry
- Lower-emission steel production and related industrial components
- Solar energy and energy storage
- Greater use of geothermal energy
- Electrification and energy efficiency
- Selected applications of hydrogen and carbon management over the longer term
Not included in the planned support: new battery-technology manufacturing investments are not intended to be eligible for support within the Valley.
Enabling infrastructure
Infrastructure for the transition
Economic development will also require appropriate infrastructure. The plans therefore address:
- Electricity network capacity
- Geothermal energy
- Water and wastewater systems
- Road and rail connections
One objective of the transport improvements is to shift a greater share of industrial freight to rail and reduce heavy goods traffic through residential areas.
Potential value
What could Net Zero Valley status offer?
Valley status would not in itself bring new investment or guarantee funding. Its value would lie in providing a more coordinated and predictable development environment for eligible projects.
Under the EU framework and the local system currently being developed, qualifying investments could benefit from:
- Better coordinated project preparation
- Permitting coordination
- Investment promotion
- Infrastructure planning
- Preparations for financing
Accelerated and coordinated procedures would apply only to projects that meet the specified technological and environmental criteria. All relevant environmental, public-health, building and other regulatory requirements would still have to be met.
A connected development framework for Miskolc
For Miskolc, this matters because it would allow the city to offer more than a collection of separate sites and individual investment opportunities. Instead, it could present a prepared, interconnected economic development framework encompassing industrial land, infrastructure, energy solutions, logistics, training and the University’s expertise.
Current stage
Where do we stand now?
Preparatory stageThe Bükk–Sajó Net Zero Valley is currently in the preparatory stage of the designation process. Formal designation would be subject to a subsequent government decision and the fulfilment of the applicable EU requirements.
As the local project lead, Miskolc has prepared the Valley Plan and delineated development areas. Work is under way on the strategic environmental assessment, the project eligibility framework and the preparation of the necessary infrastructure improvements. The next phase will involve taking this work forward and preparing for the Valley’s inclusion in the national action plan.
Miskolc’s long-term transition
Miskolc is thus preparing for a longer-term economic transition. The objective is to create new economic opportunities by building on the city’s industrial heritage, existing businesses, technical expertise and substantial brownfield sites. The Net Zero Valley could be an important tool in this transition.