Dynamics of changes in population of Ukraine from 1991-2022
Source: Open4Business.com.ua and experts.news
Chair of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU) Oleh Korikov confirmed the arrival of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission to all three nuclear power plants in Ukraine-controlled territory in the near future.
“The IAEA agreed to organize a mission to all our other nuclear power plants at the invitation of Ukraine. The key goal is to monitor nuclear safety in military conditions. The IAEA will witness in real time what happens when all power units are turned off by emergency protection, as happened on November 23 in Russian shelling,” he said during a briefing at the Media Center in Kyiv on Tuesday.
“In the near future, the mission will arrive and will be more widely represented at all nuclear power plants,” Korikov said.
He also said the IAEA continues negotiations with Russia on the creation of a security zone initiated by the agency around the seized Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, based on the Ukrainian position of complete demilitarization and de-occupation of the plant.
“Negotiations are being held, meetings are taking place in Moscow. We proceed from the proposal that the security zone should be created on the terms of complete demilitarization, de-occupation of ZNPP, including the town of Energodar, and returning it under the control of the Ukrainian authorities. We make our proposals to Grossi [IAEA Head Rafael Grossi] was handed over, and in his negotiations he proceeds from the Ukrainian position,” the SNRIU’s chair said.
At the same time, he said as a result of the occupation of Zaporizhia NPP by the Russians, “there has been a significant degradation of nuclear and radiation safety at Zaporizhia NPP,” and the presence of the Russian military has nothing to do with these concepts.
“In fact, the invaders have turned ZNPP into a military and repair base where their equipment is being repaired. These actions are unacceptable,” Korikov said, adding that these actions at ZNPP are taking place in frontline of the permanent IAEA mission, and even it cannot decisively influence the behavior of the invaders.
Korikov said ZNPP is connected to the energy system of Ukraine and consumes Ukrainian electricity, but, despite the ability to issue a resource, its launch is blocked by the occupiers.
He also said as a result of the creation by the Russian invaders of dangerous working conditions at ZNPP, the number of its personnel has significantly decreased, but enough to ensure safe operation under such conditions.
The Russians, including representatives of Rosatom, who are at the plant, according to the SNRIU’s chair, will fall under personal sanctions, their list is established by the relevant services of Ukraine.
He also said Ukraine is doing everything possible to ensure that international sanctions are applied to the state-owned concern Rosatom.
“We are also working towards sanctions on international projects of Rosatom, on Rosatom itself and on the regulatory agency. It is difficult to predict what the tenth package of sanctions will represent, but we are actively doing the relevant work,” the nuclear regulator’s head said.
Korikov said that eight out of nine power units that are located in the territory controlled by Ukraine are currently operating in the energy system, one is under scheduled repairs. According to him, nuclear power plants provide a little more than half of electricity consumption.
“All possible nuclear capacities are used to the maximum,” the SNRIU’s chair said.
Consumer price growth in Ukraine in December 2022 remained at the level of November – 0.7%, compared to 2.5% in October, 1.9% – in September and 1.1% – in August, returning to the level of July, the State Statistics Service (Gosstat) said on Tuesday.
Last December, there was a 0.6% inflation rate, so in annual terms it was 26.6% for the year as a whole, compared to 26.5% in November.
Core inflation fell to 0.8% last month from 1.3% in November and 1.9% in October, 2.4% in September and 2.1% in August.
Overall for the year, core inflation was 22.6%, the Gosstat said.
In mid-October, the National Bank kept the inflation forecast for 2022 at 30%, while the government improved it from 30.1% to 29.3% in late October.
The prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages in the consumer market rose by 0.7% in December. Oil, milk and dairy products, bread, fruit, vegetables, soft drinks, fish and fish products rose by 2.5-0.9%. At the same time, processed cereal products, eggs, sugar, poultry, bacon, pork and rice went down in price by 2.7-0.1%.
Prices for alcoholic beverages and tobacco products increased by 0.7%, which is associated with an increase in the price of tobacco products by 1.7%.
Clothing and footwear became cheaper by 2.6%, including clothing by 3.0% and footwear by 2.4%.
A 0.9% increase in health care prices was primarily due to a 1.3% increase in the price of outpatient services and a 1.0% increase in the price of pharmaceutical products.
Transportation prices rose 1.6% primarily due to a 3.1% increase in the price of fuel and lubricating oils.
As reported, Ukraine’s inflation rate in 2021 rose to 10% from 5% in 2020 and 4.1% in 2019, and the base rate rose to 7.9% from 4.5% a year earlier.
Maidan-Vilsky quarry LLC, part of Golden Tile ceramic group, intends to expand production and continue mining.
According to documentation available to the Interfax-Ukraine agency, it is expected to “conduct an environmental impact assessment procedure in connection with the expansion and changes in the planned activities for the construction and subsequent operation of the feldspar feldspar charge magnetic enrichment complex by the wet method.”
The timing of the environmental impact assessment is not disclosed.
Golden Tile Ceramic Group is a vertically integrated group of companies providing a full cycle of production and distribution of ceramic tiles.
According to the official website of the group, its structure includes PrJSC Kharkiv Tile Plant (Kharkiv), Maidan-Vilsky Quarry LLC, Maidan-Vilsky Refractories Plant LLC (both in Khmelnytsky region), PA Shakhtostroy (Donetsk region) and Golden Tile LLC (Kiev, official distributor of the Kharkiv Tile Plant).
Ukrainian steelmaking companies in 2022, according to operational data, reduced the production of total rolled steel by 72% compared with the previous year – up to 5.350 million tons.
According to the association Ukrmetallurgprom, for 12 months of 2022, steel production fell by 70.7% – to 6.263 million tons, iron – by 69.8%, to 6.391 million tons.
As reported, in 2021, 21.165 million tons of cast iron (103.6% by 2020), 21.366 million tons of steel (103.6%), 19.079 million tons of rolled steel (103.5%) were produced.
U.S. auto sales in 2022 are down 8% to 13.7 million, data from research firm Wards Intelligence show.
This is the worst figure since 2011, writes The Wall Street Journal. Sales exceeded the 17 million car mark for five consecutive years before the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020.
A number of auto executives were encouraged by the relatively strong fourth-quarter sales volume amid an improving parts supply situation. Now, however, some experts fear there could be demand problems amid rising interest rates and high inflation putting negative pressure on potential buyers.
“Things are going to get a lot tougher in 2023,” said Hyundai U.S. head Randy Parker, referring to rising interest rates. His company reported a slight decline in sales last year.
“At the beginning of last year, the industry as a whole was planning to sell more than 16 million vehicles,” notes Toyota Motor’s North American sales director Jack Hollis. But companies quickly retracted their projections as companies were forced to suspend or reduce production because of shortages of parts, and primarily chips.
“It’s not the end of the world,” Hollis believes. He said there are early signs that parts shortages and rising raw material prices are easing. Many automakers reported improved sales near the end of last year as chip supplies began to improve.
Toyota’s Hollis predicts that 15 million cars will be sold in the U.S. in 2023. Edmunds analysts estimate the figure will be 14.8 million.
Nissan Motor’s sales fell about 25 percent last year, but declined only 2 percent in the fourth quarter amid increased availability of semiconductors. “The situation has definitely gotten better,” said Judy Wheeler, who oversees Nissan’s U.S. sales.
Electric cars in the country accounted for about 6 percent of the market in 2022, up from about 3 percent a year earlier, according to J.D. Power.
That included Tesla increasing production of electric cars by 47% to 1.37 million in 2022. The company’s deliveries rose 40% to 1.31 million.
As reported, General Motors regained leadership in the U.S. market last year, overtaking Japan’s Toyota in sales.
GM sales rose 3% to 2,274,088,000 vehicles. Sales of electric cars jumped 58% to 39,179,000, the company said.
Toyota sold 2 million 108,458,000 vehicles in the U.S. last year, 10% less than in 2021. At the same time, sales of cars with electric motors, including hybrids, decreased 14% to 504,016 thousand, according to the automaker.
In 2021, Toyota for the first time became the sales leader in the U.S. market, surpassing GM, which has retained the first position since 1931.
