KYIV. Nov 14 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine’s Antimonopoly Committee has permitted Koninklijke Bunge B. V. (Rotterdam, the Netherlands) to acquire shares in New European company LLC (Mykolaiv).
The press service of the committee said that the permit grants Bunge over 50% of the votes in the management body of the company.
As reported, the transnational company Bunge has invested $180 million in building a handling complex with an oilseed refinery, oil handling terminal and an expanded grain terminal.
Bunge Ukraine Managing Director Dmytro Horshunov said that the complex continues the company’s strategy aimed at developing infrastructure at Mykolaiv seaport. In 2011 the company built a handling terminal at this port and it expanded Ukraine’s exports capacity by 3 million tonnes a year.
New European company LLC provides cargo handling, storage and loading services. It was registered in 2013. Robertius Investments Limited (Cyprus) owns the company. The ultimate beneficiary is an individual from Cyprus – Atanasia Iakovidu.
Bunge operates on agricultural products and food markets.
The key assets of Bunge in Ukraine are the Dnipropetrovsk oil extraction plant and subsidiary Suntrade (Kyiv).
KYIV. Nov 14 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Nibulon agricultural company in the framework of its strategic plans in the field of inland waterway transport intends to build five new river transshipment terminals, continue building inland and mixed navigation transport ships.
According to the company’s presentation, posted on its website, the strategic plan also provides for investing no less than $300 million in river transport of Ukraine.
The report reads the transport potential of Ukraine’s inland waterways for grain transportation is more than 10 million tonnes, other freight more than 50 million tonnes.
This will allow reducing burden on roads by 2.5 million trucks and therefore saving about UAH 47.4 billion of budget funds for road repairs.
Nibulon was created 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.
KYIV. Nov 14 (Interfax-Ukraine) – China’s CNBM has completed the registration of ownership rights to the 10 largest solar power plants in Ukraine with a total capacity of 267 MW, Director General of China’s CNBM New Energy Engineering Co., Ltd. Yongzhi Chen has said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
Commenting on the recent news about the acquisition of Neptun Solar incorporated into Activ Solar, he said that this was the last deal to register ownership rights to 10 solar power plants received for debts, while ownership rights to the rest of nine plants were registered earlier.
“In general, we have invested around $1 billion of investment and financing, including commodity loans. Over EUR 168 million were converted into capital of 10 solar power plants. The company received control over the said assets in exchange of paying unrecoverable and unsecured debt under transactions to supply equipment,” Chen said.
He said that the Chinese company has been operating on the Ukrainian energy market since 2011. In 2012-2013 a large debt appeared, and the problem was settled only in 2014 when the plants were transferred to ownership as payment of the debt.
Chen said that CNBM received permits from all Chinese and Ukrainian regulators, including Ukraine’s Antimonopoly Committee, and information that the company owns Ukrainian companies is available in open registers.
He said that CNBM is fulfilling all liabilities of the Ukrainian companies to Ukrainian banks, including Oschadbank.
As for the tariff that is considered set too high by many lawmakers and market players, he said that this tariff guaranteed the acceptable payback period with the prices of equipment at the moment of building the plants.
“In 2011-2012 the cash cost of equipment was three times more than now. It is incorrect to assess the cash cost that was five years ago, taking into account the current market price,” Chen said.
Commenting on information that other countries eventually reduced feed-in tariffs, he said that there investors knew about the reduction of tariffs in advance and they could plan their operations.
“On the other hand, the tariffs were not reduced for the finished facilities,” he added.
Chen said that allegations of some politicians that CNBM is linked to Ukrainian oligarchs, in particular, fugitive ex-head of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Andriy Kliuyev, is an attempt to deceive regulators and society and explain the discriminative steps against the company by this.
KYIV. Nov 11 (Interfax-Ukraine) – MHP agroholding, the largest poultry producer in Ukraine, seeks to more actively work with local communities and public leaders to the change the parasitical and paternalistic mood in the country and create better prospects for development and the company, MHP Board Chairman Yuriy Kosiuk has said.
“Successful people inside the company are social outcasts, an object of derision and envy. We have decided that we will work with communities to change attitudes toward successful people and those who want to do something,” he said at the third Orchestrators of Change Directors forum.
The businessman said that it is a surprise for him after the Maidan how strong parasitical mood in society is. Without changing it, attempts to improve the work of the authorities and their institutions for example, the Verkhovna Rada and the Antimonopoly Committee, will be in vain, he said.
He said that the company should set a good example to businesses and leaders in each settlement and community where the company works.
Kosiuk said that this could take five years, but it would be hard to change parasitical and paternalistic mood in society without it. He said that these are good deeds such as beautiful grass plots, paving slabs, painting of road border stones and intolerance to scoundrels.
The businessman said that as part of the new approach to the implementation of social projects the company would actively involve the public.
“We will finance 70% and you – 30% with money, participation and work,” he said.
