Chinese state-owned company Dongfang Wind Power has signed a contract worth 495 million euros within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative to supply 48 wind turbines for a 300 MW wind power project in Serbia, Serbian Economist reports, citing the Chinese industry portal Seetao.
According to the sources, Dongfang has conducted detailed site studies and optimized the turbine design taking into account Serbian standards, climatic conditions and power grid parameters. The investor and contractor of the project is China Power Construction Group (PowerChina).
The project, which has been linked in publications to the Vetrozelena wind power plant in the Pancevo region (Vojvodina), involves the installation of turbines with a unit capacity of about 6.25 MW. The expected generation is estimated at about 750-774 million kWh per year.
Vetrozelena is the largest wind power plant under construction in Serbia, with Čibuk 1 with a capacity of 158 MW being the largest operating wind power facility in the country.
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The Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and with financial support from the Norwegian government, is launching a programme to support rural communities in frontline regions with a total budget of $4 million.
According to a publication on the ministry’s website, the project will cover more than 6,000 rural households in the Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Mykolaiv regions.
The project is scheduled to start in the spring of 2026. Registration of participants will be carried out by local communities.
“The implementation of this programme will make it possible to combine operational support for affected communities with the restoration of the production potential of the agricultural sector in frontline regions. It is important that the participant selection mechanism involves local communities, which will ensure the targeted and transparent provision of assistance,” said Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture Denys Bashlyk in the statement.
As noted by the Ministry of Economy, priority support will be provided to the most vulnerable families and farmers, in particular internally displaced persons and people who have returned home. The assistance is aimed at ensuring food production and creating conditions for farmers to resume profitable activities related to growing crops and raising livestock. In the Mykolaiv region, assistance will also be provided to restore access to agricultural land contaminated with explosive objects.
The programme plans to provide vegetable seeds and potatoes to more than 4,000 rural households. Another 1,900 livestock farms will receive sets of day-old poultry, as well as cash assistance for feed and veterinary services. Individual support for small farmers registered in the State Agrarian Register (DAR) is also planned in the form of greenhouses, irrigation systems, water storage facilities, vouchers and technical assistance.
The head of the FAO office in Ukraine, Shakhnoza Muminova, noted that combining agricultural support with restoring access to land makes it possible to remove key constraints to farmers’ return to full-fledged activity.
According to Norwegian Minister of International Development Asmund Aukrust, the war continues to undermine agricultural production, posing risks to food security, which is why his country supports the UN’s efforts to help Ukrainian farmers.
In total, since the start of the full-scale aggression, Norway has provided approximately $14.8 million through the FAO to support the restoration of agriculture and land demining in Ukraine.
The International Air Transport Association has changed the rules for transporting power banks and devices with lithium batteries on board aeroplanes, effective from 1 January 2026.
The updates have been made to the rules for transporting dangerous goods, which the association classifies as rechargeable batteries and portable chargers.
“Lithium-ion batteries, which are used in most modern electronic devices, including smartphones, laptops and other gadgets, can cause explosions or fires, especially if handled incorrectly. Although such incidents are rare, the number of lithium-ion batteries transported by air has increased by 25% over the past year,” the association explained.
The main rule for transporting such devices prohibits them from being carried in baggage that flies separately from the passenger.
‘This is because a fire in the cargo compartment can go unnoticed for a long time and spread to other passengers’ baggage,’ the association notes.
In addition, according to the new rules, power banks cannot be charged from power sources located in seats or anywhere in the aircraft cabin during the entire flight. They also cannot be used to charge other devices during taxiing, take-off and landing. Another rule prohibits the carriage of chargers in hand luggage on the overhead compartments: they can be stored under the owner’s seat or in the pocket of the seat in front.
Many airlines around the world, including Russian ones, have already banned the carriage of chargers in checked baggage. The maximum power of chargers that can be carried on planes is 160 Wh.
Meanwhile, last week, a passenger’s power bank caught fire on an Asiana Airlines flight from Seoul to Hong Kong. The portable device caught fire in the cabin two hours after take-off. The crew used a fire extinguisher and managed to put out the fire in a few minutes. The owner of the power bank suffered burns to his hands, but no other passengers were injured. The airline later stated that the situation did not require an emergency landing and the aircraft continued its flight as normal.
According to IATA research, 83% of air passengers take mobile phones with them, 60% take laptops, and 44% take power banks. At the same time, about 50% of passengers are unaware of the ban on carrying power banks in checked baggage.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has reduced its forecast for wheat exports from Ukraine in the 2025-2026 marketing year (MY) from 14.5 million tonnes to 14 million tonnes (-0.5 million tonnes or 3.4%) given the increase in domestic consumption from 7.6 million tonnes to 8.1 million tonnes (+0.5 million tonnes or 6.6%), the forecast for corn remained unchanged.
The global forecast for wheat for 2025/26 calls for increased supplies, consumption, trade, and ending stocks. (…) Global consumption increased by 0.9 million tonnes to 823.9 million tonnes, mainly due to increased use in Russia, Ukraine, and Morocco, according to the USDA’s December report.
The US Department of Agriculture has not changed its estimate of Ukraine’s wheat harvest to 23 million tonnes, with exports at 14 million tonnes (-0.5 million tonnes) and ending stocks at 1.93 million tonnes. At the same time, it is noted that domestic consumption will increase to 8.1 million tonnes (+0.5 million tonnes or 6.6%).
USDA analysts left unchanged their forecast for corn harvest in Ukraine in 2025/26 MY — 29 million tonnes, exports — 23 million tonnes, ending stocks — 0.85 million tonnes.
The USDA has increased its forecast for global wheat production in 2025/26 MY to 842.17 million tonnes (+4.36 million tonnes), global exports to 219.76 million tonnes (+1.05 million tonnes), and ending stocks — 278.25 million tonnes (+3.38 million tonnes).
The USDA has raised its forecast for global corn production in 2025/26 MY to 1,296.01 million tonnes (+13 million tonnes), exports to 205.1 million tonnes (+0.01 million tonnes), and ending stocks to 290.91 million tonnes (+11.76 million tonnes).
The State Property Fund (SPF) of Ukraine will put up for privatisation the single property complex of the state-owned enterprise Ukrkolorprom (Dnipro) with a total area of 1,370.4 square metres.
According to the Fund, the auction will be held in the Prozorro.Prozori electronic system.
The starting price is UAH 42,697 excluding VAT.
The auction will take place on 22 December, and the deadline for submitting bids is 20:00 on 21 January.
The property is located in the central district of Dnipro. It is conveniently located near transport links, educational institutions, shops, parks, etc. It consists of: in Dnipro – an administrative building (with a vestibule and basement) of 305.2 square metres and a non-residential building, a security building and a fence – 288.3 square metres; in Zhovti Vody – production premises, a fence, paving of 776.9 square metres.
As of 30 September 2025, the privatisation object or its parts are not leased.
According to the State Property Fund, the acquisition of this object is an opportunity to obtain a large amount of commercial real estate with a favourable location and potential for creating a profitable office, logistics or production hub.
Ukraine is forming a National Reserve of Mobile and Modular Power Equipment for rapid recovery after attacks, according to Deputy Prime Minister for the Recovery of Ukraine – Minister of Community and Territorial Development Oleksiy Kuleba.
‘We are forming a national reserve of mobile and modular energy equipment. Such solutions allow for the rapid restoration of critical infrastructure after attacks. We communicated our priority needs to the Norwegian delegation during the meeting,’ he wrote on Telegram.
Kuleba said that he discussed Ukraine’s energy security with Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, in particular the construction of physical protection for energy facilities.
According to him, on Monday, Norway announced the allocation of about $400 million for Ukraine’s urgent needs this winter.
The minister also stressed that heating plants remain one of the main targets of Russian attacks.
‘During the last massive shelling alone, the enemy fired more than 20 missiles at them. Russia is trying to provoke a large-scale humanitarian crisis – we are doing everything to prevent this,’ he said.
The parties also discussed housing reconstruction.
‘The Nansen programme is key for us: in 2025, its volume reached 85 billion Norwegian kroner, which is three times more than the initial plans,’ Kuleba emphasised.
According to him, the extension of the programme until 2030 with total funding of 205 billion kroner is a clear sign of confidence in Ukraine.
‘I also expressed my gratitude for the support of the effective HOPE, RELINC and Re-Power programmes. The partnership with NEFCO is equally important – EUR 16 million in investments in energy efficiency projects,’ the minister noted.
As reported, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide and discussed with him the energy situation in Ukraine, as well as the prospects for joint arms production. He thanked Norway for today’s decision to allocate a $400 million aid package to Ukraine and for its assistance since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale aggression.
