The planned electrolyte manufacturing plant between Szolnok and Abony is no longer classified as a project of strategic importance to the national economy, the Tisza Party’s Member of Parliament for the region stated in a Facebook video.
Andrea Rost said this means that there is currently no permitting process under which construction of the electrolyte plant could begin on the outskirts of Szolnok (central Hungary).
In her post, the MP stated that she had requested official information from the relevant ministry and had also consulted with the Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County Government Office. Based on those consultations, she reported that:
no application for an environmental permit has been submitted,
no environmental permitting procedure is currently underway, and
no construction work has begun.
As she stated,
the specific electrolyte plant investment is not classified as a project of strategic importance to the national economy.”
Andrea Rost also said that she had personally held several discussions regarding the proposed electrolyte plant in recent months. She stressed that for an investment of this magnitude, the opinions and legitimate concerns of local residents must be taken seriously. She added that the residents, local civil organizations, and the city council have all made it clear that Szolnok does not support battery industry investments within the city’s administrative boundaries.
“The Tisza Party’s position is clear: development, jobs, and investment are necessary, but only in a way that respects the safety, healthy environment, and opinions of local residents,” she said. She promised to continue monitoring developments and to keep the people of Szolnok informed of any significant changes.
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In May, Lex Gao, head of the Chinese investor KunlunChem Hungary Ltd., stated that before obtaining a construction permit, the company would first need to receive:
industrial safety approval, and
an environmental use permit.
He emphasized that the factory would be built in full compliance with all applicable laws and with maximum consideration for environmental protection, adding that the company intended to use the most advanced technology available.
Világgazdaság reported that although the company invited local residents to an information and consultation meeting, only one person attended to learn about KunlunChem Hungary’s plans for Szolnok.
At the time, the company’s representative said they regretted that the Szolnok city council did not support battery industry investments but that they would try to take steps to address the situation. He also stated that
if the project received no legal, political, or public support, then “we will regretfully leave.”
The first phase of the project was expected to create 140 jobs.
In May, Mihály Györfi, the mayor of Szolnok (supported by the alliance of the Let’s Do It for Szolnok Association, Jobbik, Momentum, Democratic Coalition, MSZP, Párbeszéd–Greens, and Agóra Association), announced on Facebook that he had asked Péter Magyar, who leads the Tisza Party, to initiate the withdrawal of the strategic investment status of the planned industrial park outside the city and to support a ban on constructing the proposed electrolyte plant there.
The Chinese electrolyte manufacturer KunlunChem announced its planned investment in Szolnok in March 2025. The company is among the world’s five largest electrolyte manufacturers, and
its planned Hungarian facility was intended to supply electrolytes for the electric vehicles produced by BMW and Mercedes-Benz in Hungary.
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Via Világgazdaság, Featured image: MTI/Szigetváry Zsolt