On January 8, the Minister of National Defence Arvydas Anušauskas signed public-private partnership agreements with UAB “Salvinta” and UAB “Partnerystės projektai keturi”, during the term of which a completely new military infrastructure will be created for three battalion-sized units of the Lithuanian Armed Forces in Šiauliai, Rokantiškės (Vilnius district) and Pajūris (Šilalė district). This is the first time that the development of facilities in the national defence system is carried out through a public-private partnership. This method was chosen taking into account not only the ability of the private sector to develop several large-scale projects simultaneously, but also due to large investments in the modernization of armaments and the acquisition of new defensive systems in the national defence system.
“I do not want to take all the credit for the signing, because the agreements were prepared by the former Minister of National Defence. But by choosing a public-private partnership approach for the development of new military infrastructure, we will be able to have 3 new military towns in 2023, the funds allocated for their construction and maintenance will be spread over a long period of time, thus easing the financial burden on the national defence budget. The new infrastructure will also contribute to strengthening the capabilities of the Lithuanian Armed Forces and create better conditions for the presence of allies in Lithuania, as infrastructure in battalions will be freed up,” says Minister of National Defence Arvydas Anušauskas.
“We bring to this cooperation many years of experience of a team of professionals, which we will employ to create the greatest possible benefit for Lithuania,” said Sigita Survilaitė-Mekionienė, CEO of UAB Darnu Group, which owns UAB Salvinta, after the signing of the contract. This company will create new infrastructure for two units of the Lithuanian Armed Forces: the Kunigaikštis Vaidotas Mechanized Infantry Battalion, which will relocate from its current location in Rukla to the village of Rokantiškės in the Vilnius region, and the Brigadier General Motiejus Pečiulionis Artillery Battalion, which will be able to move from the temporary container camp in Pajūris, Šilalė district, to the new permanent infrastructure created nearby.
Meanwhile, the new infrastructure for the Duke Margiris Infantry Battalion will be developed by UAB “Partnerystės projektai keturi”, which belongs to the “Eika” group of companies. “We are confident that this experience will allow us to ensure that the military town construction contract signed today will be implemented exceeding the expectations of all interested parties. In addition, such a project meets the strategic goal of “Eika” to diversify the portfolio as widely as possible by assessing business risks and income and will become another business card of the group of companies, along with other complex projects we have already developed throughout Lithuania,” says Domas Dargis, head of the “Eika” group of companies, which belongs to UAB “Partnerystės projektai keturi”.
The total value of all three contracts is approximately 168 million euros. Due to the chosen partnership model, the Ministry of National Defence will be able to distribute the high construction costs in equal parts over a period of 12.5 years, after the new infrastructure of the Lithuanian Armed Forces units has been created and put into operation. Each new military town will have barracks, headquarters, canteens, sports and leisure facilities, medical stations, repair shops and all other necessary military infrastructure facilities. In total, approximately 3 thousand soldiers will be stationed there.