The draft national budget of Ukraine for 2020, prepared for second reading, provides for UAH 73.7 billion to finance road infrastructure, which is 36% more than in 2019. According to Minister of Infrastructure Vladyslav Krykliy, the budget for 2020 doubles the cost of road safety to UAH 3.17 billion, and increases by five times financing for the development of airfield complexes, to UAH 1.07 billion.
Some UAH 500 million was laid for the construction and reconstruction of bridges, UAH 116 million for ensuring the operationally safe condition of shipping locks.
In addition, the minister noted that within the framework of projects with international financial organizations, it is planned to develop urban passenger transport in Ukrainian cities (UAH 400 million) and modernize the Ukrainian railway (UAH 200 million).
“From the second half of 2020, we expect additional financing for infrastructure development projects due to excess of customs VAT and excise taxes,” the minister added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed Andrew Mac, the head of Ukrainian law firm Asters office in Washington, as his non-staff adviser (by consent). The head of state signed relevant decree on November 5, according to the president’s press service.
Andrew Mac specializes in cross-border transactions involving the U.S., Ukraine and CIS entities being an expert in mergers and acquisitions, corporate and competition law, corporate compliance, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and Bribery Act, capital markets and state regulations.
He has deep hands-on experience in coordinating complex cross-border disputes, as well as in advising Ukrainian and CIS businesses in their U.S. partner interactions.
Andrew Mac is a licensed advocate both in Ukraine and the United States. He is a member of American Bar Association and Ukrainian-American Bar Association.
Asters was founded in 1995 as Shevchenko Didkovskiy and Partners and renamed to Asters during rebranded in 2008.
In 2010, Kyiv Post recognized Andrew Mac one of the most influential foreigners in Ukraine.
Ukrenergo last night for the first time was forced to limit “green” generation at Botiyevska, Prymorska-1 and Orlovska wind farms (all are within DTEK Group), Andriy Gerus, the head of the Verkhovna Rada committee on energy and housing and utilities services, has stated.
“Such a limitation was 300-400 MW at certain hours of the night. Nevertheless, according to the existing rules, DTEK will still receive the payment of a feed-in euro tariff of UAH 2.9 per kWh (EUR0.102), despite the fact that the energy system did not need but did not use the electricity produced by the corresponding wind farms (the price of the matter is millions of hryvnias). The corresponding payment will fall on state-owned Energoatom, Ukrhydroenergo and the Ukrenergo tariff, which all consumers will pay for,” he said on Facebook.
Gerus emphasized that in the future this situation will occur more and more often.
“The problem is growing, and in spring it will reach a large-scale character. I am convinced that investments necessary for the state are those that benefit the state and give investors the opportunity to earn profit. And the state’s interest must be taken into account in this structure,” he said.
As reported, on October 16 the Rada energy committee approved bill No. 2236-2 (the Servant of the People party), which allows, when dispatching, to give priority to operator-producers of alternative energy with an installed capacity of up to 150 MW. Compensation of the cost of electricity not sold at the feed-in tariff in connection with dispatching restrictions is also provided to the stations whose capacity does not exceed 150 MW.
Sugar production in Ukraine as of November 4, 2019 amounted to 909,580 tonnes.
According to the Ukrtsukor National Association of Sugar Producers, as of this date 31 sugar factories were operating in the country. To date, they have processed 6.17 million tonnes of sugar beets.
According to the information and analytical portal of the agro-industrial complex, as of November 1 farmers had harvested 7.8 million tonnes of sugar beets from 178,000 ha (81% of the forecast for the area) with the average yield being 43.8 tonnes per ha.
As reported, the sugar production season in Ukraine started on September 1. According to the estimates of Ukrtsukor, sugar production in the 2019/2020 season may reach 1.1-1.2 million tonnes.
Sugar production in the 2018/2019 season decreased by 15% compared with the previous MY, to 1.82 million tonnes.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk has said that the draft national budget of Ukraine for 2020 provides UAH 15.1 billion for creative industry and culture development, which is UAH 2.8 billion more than in 2019.
“Next year we will stimulate mobility for children,” he said during the presentation of the 2020 draft national budget in Kyiv on Tuesday.
Honcharuk added that UAH 500 mln will be allocated for such programs.
In addition, UAH 240 million will be allocated for tourism infrastructure development.
State-owned enterprise Pivdenny maritime merchandise port in October 2019 handled 1.343 million tonnes of cargo, which is 34% and 19.8% more than in October 2018.
“The increase in cargo turnover is linked to an increase in the number of ships with ore, imported steam coal and grain processing products. So, 813,000 tonnes of cargo was exported, 349,000 tonnes were transit cargo, 182,000 tonnes – imported cargo. In October, the company processed 18,849 gondola cars, received and dispatched 18 vessels, “the port’s press service said.
According to the press service, in October, 57% of the Pivdenny port’s cargo transshipment was iron ore concentrate cargoes. In addition, 120,000 tonnes of imported coking coal and 46,000 tonnes of steam coal were handled.
The stevedore also handled over 41,500 tonnes of cereals and products made of them.
Pivdenny port was founded in 1978. It is the deepest one in Ukraine. The total length of the berths is about 2.6 km.
