The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in 2017 issued loans for a record high amount of EUR9.7 billion, the bank said in a statement.
The figure has been growing for four consecutive years, while in 2016 it was EUR 9.4 billion.
The number of projects that received funding from the EBRD increased to 412 against 378 a year earlier.
The largest recipient of loans was again Turkey, despite the fact that the figure decreased compared to 2016 to EUR 1.54 billion from EUR 1.92 billion. Egypt ranks second: investment in the country almost doubled, to EUR 1.41 billion. Ukraine ranks third with EUR 581 million in 2017.
It is noted that the volume of loans granted to projects in the field of “green” energy in the past year increased to EUR4.1 billion from EUR2.8 billion a year earlier. Thus, the share of such projects in the bank’s new loans was 43%, although the EBRD management previously expected to reach a figure above 40% by 2020.
Among the major projects is the construction of a solar power plant in the Egyptian city of Benban. It is expected that this power plant will reach a capacity of 1.8 gigawatts and will become the largest such project in the world.
In 2017, the EBRD for the first time started issuing loans to Lebanon, and also opened offices in Alexandria, Tangier, and Odesa.
Ukraine will consider the possibility of training industrial staff doe highly sought professions according to German standards, the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has reported after a meeting of Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman with representatives of leading German companies operating in Ukraine.
“At the suggestion of Germany, the agenda of bilateral relations includes issues related to the facilitation of the training of industrial personnel in Ukraine for the most popular professions, according to German standards,” the report said.
In this context, the prime minister proposed further identifying the most urgent priorities for joint work and moving in specific directions and projects.
The government of Ukraine has extended until June 1, 2019 the powers of PJSC AvtoKrAZ (Kremenchuk, Poltava region) to export military goods of its own production and import military goods for its own production.
Such a decision is stipulated in cabinet resolution No. 1034 of December 20, 2017, which introduces amendments to resolution No. 1228 dated 1999.
The status of a special exporter was provided to AvtoKrAZ by the government in 2007. Subsequently, the term of powers was periodically extended.
PJSC AvtoKrAZ produces 33 basic models, more than 260 modifications and sets for KrAZ machinery for work in all sectors of the economy and in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The enterprise is part of the financial and industrial group of Kostiantyn Zhevaho.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will provide up to $50 million loan to JV Nibulon LLC to support the expansion and modernization of Nibulon’s grain logistics infrastructure in 2018-2019.
EBRD Senior Adviser Anton Usov told Interfax-Ukraine that the project was approved by the bank’s board at a Wednesday meeting.
According to the materials of the bank, the project includes the construction of river terminals, transshipment crane, river fleet and Mykolaiv terminal enhancement.
The project will support Nibulon’s strategy aimed mainly at the expansion and optimisation of its river grain logistics facilities in order to increase grain trading volumes reducing the share of road and rail transportation, which will lead to the improvement of profitability, efficiency, as well as to the reduction of environmental footprint.
The total cost of the project is near $140 million. Technical Cooperation funds are provided by Japan-EBRD Technical Cooperation Fund to partially cover project’s external legal costs.
Nibulon LLC was established in 1991. It is one of the largest operators in the grain market of the country. It has elevators with a total capacity of about 2 million tonnes, as well as its own transshipment terminal with a capacity of 5 million tonnes in Mykolaiv.
Nibulon cultivates 82,000 hectares of land, owns and operates the second largest network of internal elevators and river terminals, a sea terminal in Mykolaiv. The company exports mainly maize, wheat and barley to more than 20 countries. The annual volume of exports reaches 4.5 million tonnes.
State enterprise Artyomsol (Donetsk region) has launched the production of purified food salt, according to a press release issued by the company.
To obtain premium quality salt according to state standard 3583:2015, the process of photoseparation was integrated into the existing technology, which allows removing dark inclusions of natural origin (anhydrides) from rock salt.
“As a result, salt has acquired a more attractive appearance, the content of NaCl it grew to 99%,” the report says.
The production of purified food salt was launched simultaneously at two mines.
Food salt after additional cleaning corresponds to European quality standards.
The program of reconstruction and modernization of all Artyomsol mines began in 2016. The main investment in the purchase of imported high-tech equipment amounted to UAH 23.5 million, which, according to preliminary calculations, will be paid back in 1.5 years.
The plans include the continuation of technical re-equipment of the mines, the transition to production of purified salt on all production lines.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has decided to create the Maritime Authority that would start operating from August 1, 2018, Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan has said.
“The government resolution on the creation of the Maritime Authority from August 1, 2018 has been issued,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
Government resolution No. 1095 dated September 6, 2017 on the creation of the State Service of Sea and River Transport of Ukraine has been posted on the government’s website.
The service will be the central executive body, whose activities are directed and coordinated by the Cabinet of Ministers through the Minister of Infrastructure, implementing the public policy in the fields of sea and river transport, merchant shipping, navigation on inland waterways, navigation and hydrographic provision of navigation, as well as in maritime security and river transport (except for the safety of navigation of ships of the fishing industry fleet).
According to the authority’s regulations, in accordance with the tasks assigned to it, it, in particular, ensures the preparation of proposals by the Ministry of Infrastructure for the conclusion, termination or suspension of action, denunciation and accession to international treaties on sea and river transport in Ukraine; concludes international treaties of Ukraine of interdepartmental character; develops a strategy for ensuring the fulfillment of the obligations of the state flag, the state port and the coastal state under international treaties in the field of merchant shipping and performs the functions resulting from these obligations; draws up proposals for the integration of the national sea and river transport system into the European and global transport systems and, in accordance with the established procedure, ensures this integration; carries out control over the implementation of international agreements of Ukraine on the safety of navigation and prevention of environmental pollution.
In addition, the authority exercises control over ensuring the security of transportation of goods, passengers and baggage by sea and river vessels; over the state of sea routes, the functioning of traffic control services and pilotage; carrying out rescue operations on sea and river transport, in the water area of seaports, the functioning of radio navigation and observation systems of the maritime mobile service; conducts checks of compliance of the port security systems; coordinates the activities of the captains of seaports within their authority; controls the conclusion of compulsory insurance contracts; conducts investigation and analysis of the causes of marine accidents and transport accidents on inland waterways of Ukraine; carries out licensing of economic activities for the provision of services for transportation of passengers, dangerous goods, hazardous waste by sea and river transport.
