KYIV. July 14 (Interfax-Ukraine) – PJSC Zaporizhia Aluminum Plant (ZAlK) is conducting restoration work to resume manufacture of aluminum wire rod, according to the plan, in August this year.
According to a press release of Zaporizhia Regional State Administration, the launch of wire rod production was discussed during a working trip of Deputy Head of Zaporizhia Regional State Administration Borys Borysov and director of the industry and infrastructure development department Andriy Antonov, held on behalf of head of the state administration Kostiantyn Bryl.
The press service noted production of aluminum wire rod was stopped in 2014. Currently the plant management in conjunction with the regional administration has taken first steps towards the realization of a prospect plan for the development of the strategically important enterprise.
ZAlK CEO Dmytro Lobikov said the plant was the only Ukrainian producer of primary aluminum, alloys, as well as crystalline silicon, ferrosilicon and silumin. The plant provided a full metallurgical cycle.
KYIV. July 14 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Public joint-stock company Ukrtelecom seeks to invest up to $50 million in the fixed telecommunications network modernization by late 2016 using the credit line of China Development Bank.
The press service of Ukrtelecom reported on Wednesday the company has ordered 389 Huawei active junction boxes that would replace 46 old automatic telephone systems and will service around 170,000 subscribers.
The equipment will ensure provision of Internet access services to subscribers at the speed of up to 20 megabit per second using ADSL technology, up to 50 megabit per second using VDSL technology and up to 1 gigabit per second using GPON technology. The new infrastructure of Ukrtelecom would allow Smart City services in the future.
Similar Huawei boxes are servicing 12,500 subscribers in Odesa. They were installed instead of three old automatic telephone systems during a pilot modernization project.
Ukrtelecom is the largest fixed-line communications operator in Ukraine. Its ultimate owner is Rinat Akhmetov’s SCM Group.
KYIV. July 14 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Saudi Arabia has started preparations for organizing batch production of new An-132 multipurpose aircraft with a carrying capacity of 9.2 tonnes being designed by Antonov State Enterprise (Kyiv) in cooperation with King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and Taqnia Aeronautics Co. (both based in Saudi Arabia).
KACST Director Khalid A. Almalki said at the Farnborough International Airshow Trade 2016 said that Saudi Arabia is preparing the required infrastructure under the An-132 aircraft program.
“Today we are focused on building test aircraft An-132 to present it on the market. We are also designing and preparing infrastructure required for it, including composite materials,” he said.
The press service of Antonov Enterprise said on Wednesday that Almalki expressed satisfaction with the level of cooperation and the course of works to produce test aircraft An-132D at the facilities of Antonov Enterprise.
“We intend to start An-132 aircraft’s tests by the end of this year, and we hope to find potential customers for the plane,” Almalki said.
An-132D is the first prototype of a new light transport An-132 aircraft, which will replace An-32 and An-26 in the market. The An-132 program is implemented by Antonov in cooperation with KACST and Taqnia Aeronautics Co.
BAKU. July 14 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev have called for development of bilateral trade at a meeting in Baku.
“We have given very serious instructions and I have no doubt that their fulfillment will bring our countries closer together and their trade turnover will increase. The current level of trade turnover does not satisfy either Azerbaijan or Ukraine,” Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said after negotiations with his Ukrainian colleague.
Instructions regarding joint investment projects were also given at the negotiations, he said.
“We ordered that the investment potential of both countries be reviewed due to the mutual interest in this matter,” Aliyev said.
The State Oil Company of the Azerbaijani Republic (SOCAR) is doing business in Ukraine and has invested over $200 million in more than 60 filling stations in Ukraine, the Azerbaijani president said.
KYIV. July 13 (Interfax-Ukraine) – U.S. General Electric Corporation soon could supply own locomotive for its testing at Ukrainian railways, Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan has said.
“We are finishing an agreement on the test locomotive. I think that, if not this week, next week we will sign it. Then the locomotive will be shipped to Ukraine and start a six-month test,” the minister told reporters in Kyiv on Monday.
Omelyan added that a memoriam of cooperation with General Electric is being drawn up. It will be similar to the paper signed with Canada’s Bombardier on Monday. Under the document it is planned to create a joint locomotive production facility in Ukraine.
General Electric is a U.S. multi-sector corporation. The company is the ninth in the Forbes Global 2000 list of largest public companies.
KYIV. July 13 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The owner and president of DCH Group Oleksandr Yaroslavsky who holds a controlling stake in Kharkiv Tractor Plant seeks to invest around UAH 200 million in the enterprise.
“I plan to invest near UAH 200 million in Kharkiv Tractor Plant. The plant could be restored within six months,” he said in an interview with Forbes Ukraine publication.
The businessman said that he sees the plant producing tractors, and if the company receives an order from the state – military equipment that the plant made 20 years ago: multipurpose lightly-armored transporters.
Asked about the possible modernization of the plant, he said that it would be conducted if it suits business plan.
“Modernization is a manmade process. If there were order from the state to make military equipment one can do everything… I bought the asset with a focus on production of tractors. If I need to increase production or change the processes, I will take my old business plan when I was the owner of the plant, dust it off and start implementing. I do not need research institutions and dozen-year work,” he said.
Yaroslavsky said that Ukraine, Russia and even Cuba buy tractors made by Kharkiv Tractor Plant.
Explaining the debt structure to banks, he said that early June a one-year debt rescheduling plan was signed with banks.
“Earlier an amicable agreement with Ukreximbank was signed. It included payments of debts starting from 2035 during 30 years,” he said.
He said that the rest of the plant’s debts are debts to the tax service.
“Taxpayers accrued UAH 400 million, while in fact this is UAH 109 million to be paid in installments, according to all documents and the payment terms agreed earlier,” the businessman said.
