On 9 April, the Ventspils State City Municipality Council approved the submission of two project applications to the call for proposals announced by the Central Finance and Contracting Agency, seeking co-financing from the European Union Cohesion Policy Programme for the construction of new industrial buildings.

Author: Bio-Venta Ltd.

​On March 7, the second production line of Bio-Venta Ltd.’s oil pressing facility was ceremonially inaugurated, marking a new stage of growth in the company’s development.
Between 2024 and 2026, the company implemented a project to double the capacity of its oil pressing plant. Processing capacity has increased from 100,000 to 200,000 tonnes of rapeseed per year, significantly boosting production volumes.
Total investments amount to approximately EUR 7.5 million, including EUR 672,788.74 in co-financing from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

Author: Economics and Procurement Department
On Thursday, March 26, the Ventspils City Council adopted a decision to conclude a delegation agreement with the foundation “Ventspils High Technology Park” in order to continue developing business support and attracting new residents to the city, ensuring the provision of services by the Ventspils Business Support Centre.

Author: Marketing and Tourism Department
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From May 20 to 22, the Kurzeme Business Forum will take place in Ventspils, dedicated this year to the challenges of the IT sector in the age of artificial intelligence. On the first day of the forum, entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to learn about the most pressing issues and solutions in the fields of artificial intelligence and human resources in the IT sector by participating in discussions with industry experts. This day will serve as a foundation for the forum’s subsequent activities, during which students will analyze the identified challenges and develop ideas and practical solutions.

Author: Ventspils Technical School

On March 25–26, 2026, Ventspils Technical School hosted a partner meeting of the European Commission co-funded four-year project “AutoCove 2.0,” bringing together 16 participants from seven European countries – Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Germany, France, and the Netherlands.
The “AutoCove 2.0” project focuses on modernizing vocational education by adapting it to the rapidly evolving demands of the automotive sector, particularly in the fields of electric, hybrid, and hydrogen-powered vehicles.

Author Freeport of Ventspils Authority
From March 17 to 19, a Consortium meeting of the European Union co-funded project H2Deri@BSP took place in Luleå, Sweden. The Freeport of Ventspils Authority was represented by Kaspars Liepiņš, developer of the renewable energy cluster.
​During the meeting, project partners familiarised themselves with the Port of Luleå, one of the largest cargo ports in Sweden and an important industrial centre in the northern part of the Gulf of Bothnia. They discussed project activities and latest updates and presented interim results of their work tasks. The Freeport of Ventspils Authority presented a techno-economic and commercial model designed to assess the development potential of solar, wind, and hybrid power plants, as well as green hydrogen and its derivative production facilities.

Author: Economics and Procurement Department
Ventspils State City Municipality City Council has approved binding regulations on support for covering the rent of business premises. The regulations provide for the continuation of existing support for covering office rent in the high-technology sector, as well as a new support scheme for covering premises rent for organisers of entertainment and artistic events in the historic centre of Ventspils.

Author: Economics and Procurement Department
 
Ventspils State City Municipality has announced a competition for the renovation or reconstruction of buildings with the aim of creating rental apartments in Ventspils.
Project submission deadline: from 16 February 2026 to 15 August 2026 (inclusive).
Subject of the competition: Co-financing for the renovation or reconstruction of buildings in order to create rental apartments within the administrative territory of Ventspils.
Co-financing: Up to EUR 300,000 will be granted to the winner of the competition for the implementation of the supported project.

Author Freeport of Ventspils
Igors Udodovs has been appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Freeport of Ventspils. Previously, he served as Acting CEO of the Freeport of Ventspils, Deputy CEO, and Head of the Marketing and Development Department. Udodovs assumed the position of CEO on 1 March 2026.

Ventspils State City Municipality offers for lease an industrial territory with a total area of 77.5 hectares located at Kurzemes Street 83 in Ventspils (cadastral No. 27000330118).
Ventspils Industrial Park is a territory designated by the municipality and available to investors for starting and developing business activities. Companies operating in this area are granted the status of the Ventspils Freeport Authority Special Economic Zone (SEZ), which provides various advantages aimed at increasing business competitiveness.
The territory offers land plots of different sizes. A solar panel park of approximately 30 ha (around 30 MW) is planned in the area. Technical designs are also available for two production/warehouse buildings of 4,440 m² each.
The territory borders the European route E22 national highway.