An opening ceremony for the second stage of infrastructural facilities of Baikal Harbor Special Economic Zone was held on 2 July 2011 with Buryatia’s President Vyacheslav Nagovitsyn, Vice-Premier, Finance Minister Aleksey Kudrin, and Chairman of the Tourism Commission of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Vladimir Zhidkikh, as well as mass media, representatives of the general contractor, OJSC Zapsibgazprom, and local residents attending the symbolic ribbon-cutting ceremony at the production and operations building. The guests were greeted by Head of METROPOL Group Mikhail Slipenchuk. 

Waste treatment facilities, an administrative building with flats intended for employees, and a power substation have already been commissioned. Thus, 70% of the planned works for construction of the Baikal Harbor infrastructure have already been completed. The remaining 30% are scheduled for completion by the end of the year. The state has fulfilled its task, and now it is turn for public-private partnership.

Buryatia’s President Vyacheslav Nagovitsyn said in his welcome address: “I wish to congratulate everybody on a good start, because infrastructure is very important, and no resident would come here if it was not in place. We have everything here what is required for tourists’ needs, water, sewerage, energy, heat, everything. The cost of land is naturally growing by leaps and bounds. I think that quite soon we’ll see our residents lay foundation stones of their hotels”.

Chairman of the organizing committee for commemoration of the voluntary accession of the Republic of Buryatia to Russia, Vice-Premier, Finance Minister Aleksey Kudrin added in his turn: “Today we see the first results. 1.9 billion RUB out of the planned federal allocation of 6.5 billion RUB has already been invested. Now we’ll be waiting for the 60 billion RUB of private investment. The funds are available, they are registered, and design work is under way. The projects look very attractive. We plan to come here in two years and see a more developed recreation infrastructure”.

Mikhail Slipenchuk underlined that the works progress ahead of schedule. “We’ll definitely make it in two years; we’ll have a five-star hotel and a four-star hotel here, (and) a congress-hall with 1,500 seats. It will be suitable for hosting forums, including those of finance ministers from all over the world, contests, (and) major concerts”. Slipenchuk also told journalists that the commissioned facilities meet the highest international standards. For example, a pipe-pushing system has been used under Turka Bay to protect landscape integrity. According to Slipenchuk, there have been no similar systems in Buryatia yet. Facilities on the right bank of the Turka River are being designed by Japan’s Nikken Sekkey. This world-renowned company has designed complex high-rise projects in Tokyo, including the seismic-proof Tokyo Sky Tree. “We invited them”, notes Slipenchuk, “because I want to use state-of-the-art environment-friendly and energy-saving technologies in the construction of Baikal Harbor”.

Chairman of the Tourism Committee of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Vladimir Zhidkikh told the audience that today, despite the fact that tourism is just a nascent sector of Russia's economy, it is developing most dynamically, especially in the Baikal region:  “There is understanding here that this is an appropriate strategy for the republic’s economy and future. Millions dream of visiting Baikal. So it is very important for us: who and how implements the governmental decision on creating free economic zones”, he stressed.

He thanked Mikhail Slipenchuk, the staff of METROPOL Group and OJSC ZapSibGazProm managed by IFC METROPOL for the work they have performed. Then, in his capacity of the Representative of the Russian Federation to the European Parliamentary Assembly, Zhidkikh delivered to Slipenchuk a commemorative watch (60 years of the European Parliamentary Assembly) in recognition of the company’s contribution to Lake Baikal research. “The MIRs on Baikal expedition is significant both as a national and international event”, he underlined.