Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

Famous French architect to develop concept for public garden in center of Mykolaiv

French architect and president of the Architecture et Maîtres d’Ouvrage (AMO) association Martin Duplantier, who created D Architecture Ukraine LLC for projects of restoration and development of Ukrainian cities in the face of full-scale Russian aggression, will develop a concept for a public garden in the center of Mykolaiv.

“Mykolaiv City Council signed a memorandum of cooperation with French architect Martin Duplantier. The goal of this cooperation is to create an aesthetically pleasing and high-quality urban environment in Mykolaiv in accordance with European urban principles,” Yevhen Polyakov, director of the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning at Mykolaiv City Council, told Interfax-Ukraine.

The architect chose a park of over 9,000 square meters located in the Central District (along 17, 19 Heroiv Ukrayiny Avenue). This square has the potential to become a kind of attraction point for residents of neighboring buildings and passersby as a place for quiet and active recreation.

Work is currently underway to develop conceptual design solutions, which will last from early September to late November. Design work is being carried out without the involvement of budgetary funds.

Martin Maurice Henri Duplantier is an architect and urbanist, head of the French bureau Martin Duplantier Architectes, president of the Association of Architecture et Maîtres d’Ouvrage (AMO). In March 2022, he assembled a team in Lviv and began projects to analyze the destruction with a view to rebuilding Ukraine.

In April 2023, he founded D Architecture Ukraine LLC with an authorized capital of UAH 200 thousand. The projects under implementation include the project of the Maria Prymachenko Museum in Ivankiv, the restoration of the Uvariv House, and the creation of a new Ukrainian-French cultural center in Vorzel (presented to the public, seeking funding). Territorial development plans are being drafted (Chernihiv, Izyum, Nizhyn). The agency is also working on dual-purpose bomb shelters for schools across Ukraine.

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State Property Fund of Ukraine has re-put up for privatization Gannopil distillery

The State Property Fund of Ukraine (SPFU) has re-put up for privatization the Gannopil distillery in Khmelnytsky region, the press service of the agency reports.

“This is the second attempt to sell the Gannopil distillery. At the previous auction, the investor offered UAH 2.6 million, but did not pay for the lot and lost UAH 400 thousand of the guarantee fee,” the SPF reported.

The agency reminded that the alcohol industry enterprises can produce alcoholic beverages, soda, solvents for the chemical industry and bioethanol.

According to the report, the Gannopil distillery started its operations in 1928. The company could potentially produce 20 thousand liters of alcohol per day. However, the plant has not been operating since 2011.

The area of the distillery’s premises is 10,208 thousand square meters, which includes 62 buildings: administrative offices, warehouses, workshops, workshops, alcohol storage facilities and wells.

In addition to the winning bid, the new owner has to pay UAH 16.2 million in debts to employees and the budget.

The starting price of the enterprise is UAH 3.8 million.

The auction is scheduled for August 31.

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Ukraine’s Velta engages Canada’s Hatch to design plant in US

Velta group of companies with titanium ore mining assets in Novomyrhorod (Kirovograd region) has signed an agreement with international consulting company Hatch to design a titanium powder plant in the United States.

According to a press release on Tuesday, the agreement was signed between Velta Holding US Inc and Hatch.

It is noted that the new plant will be one of the first in the U.S. to operate based on Ukrainian low carbon footprint technology developed at Velta’s research center.

“This partnership agreement brings the Velta team closer to presenting the solution of Ukrainian scientists to the US titanium market, which is dangerously dependent on external supply chains,” the press service quotes Velta CEO Andriy Brodsky as saying.

At the same time, he expressed confidence that thanks to Hatch’s design expertise, the plant will be able to quickly and efficiently meet the demand for titanium for the countries that are Ukraine’s allies in the war.

The capacity of the first plant is designed for 1,000 tons per year of titanium powder with the potential to scale up in the future.

The company also emphasizes its intentions to build a similar plant in Ukraine.

Hatch is a leading consulting company for project design and implementation. The company’s professional experience includes projects in more than 150 countries in the metals, energy and infrastructure sectors, including four major TiO2 projects in Canada, South Africa and Senegal. The company also works closely with the communities where it operates its projects to avoid negative environmental impacts and promote economic development.

Velta Holding US, Inc. owns Velta LLC, a Ukrainian titanium feedstock producer that has built a titanium mining complex in Ukraine.

“Velta launched its R&D center in 2017 to develop a new method of titanium production. To date, the technology has already received two patents in the US.

PKF Velta LLC was registered in April 2000. The main activity is mining and production of ilmenite concentrate.

LLC VELTA Holding owns 100% of LLC PKF VELTA. The ultimate beneficiaries are three individuals: Andrey Brodsky (60%), Vadim Moskalenko (20%) and Vitaly Malakhov (20%).

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Ukraine’s rapeseed production in 2023 will reach historical maximum

The production of rapeseed in Ukraine in the season-2023 may reach the new historical maximum and amount to 4.2 mln tonnes, up 5% from the previous estimate and 17% from the previous year, APK-Inform news agency reported.

“The increase in the potential of oilseed harvest was made possible due to the expansion of the planted area under this winter crop to about 1.5 mln ha (+3% by 2022), which, in turn, was due to the attractive price situation on the rapeseed market last fall, amid the general decline in prices for agricultural crops in Ukraine and, in particular, for grains,” the agency said in a statement.

The analysts noted that weather conditions during the growing season and ripening had a positive impact on the rapeseed yield and estimated it at 28.8 centners per hectare, up 5% from the previous forecast and 3% higher than in the season-2022.

According to the updated forecast of APK-Inform, in 2023/24 MY the exports of rapeseed will amount to about 3.8 mln tonnes, up 4% from the previous forecast and 10% from the last year’s figures.

“The shipment of the oilseed in the current season remains complicated due to the suspension of the “grain corridor”, missile attacks on the Danube ports and a significant load on the western crossings, and is likely to be more extended in time compared to the traditional timing of oilseeds sales on foreign markets in previous seasons,” the analysts said.

Export of Ukrainian rapeseed remains banned to Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Hungary, APK-Inform reminded and suggested that the ban will be extended after September 15.

Sunflower prices will reach 17-18 thousand UAH per ton

Agrarians in the southern regions of Ukraine have started harvesting sunflower, the market is gradually switching to trading the new sunflower crop, which has both demand and decent prices, which will reach 17-18 thousand UAH/ton in November-December, according to the analytical cooperative “Pusk”, created within the framework of the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council (AAC).

“The new sunflower harvest is already being traded on FOB and CIF basis, in particular, Italy recently purchased a thousand tons of Ukrainian oilseed at $465/ton. Processors are already announcing prices at $370/ton excluding VAT,” the analysts said.

They expect that in August-September, the purchase prices for sunflower in Ukraine will remain in the range of 14 500-15 000 UAH/ton.

In the near future, Ukraine is expected to have high air temperatures and no precipitation, which will facilitate the harvesting campaign, so the supply of sunflower will grow, experts said.

“If there is no significant precipitation, then in mid-September we can expect the traditional price decrease by 1000-1500 UAH/ton – the price tags will drop to 12-13 thousand UAH/ton under the pressure of harvesting. But in November-December, the range will increase to 17-18 thousand UAH/ton. The seasonal model generally shows an upward trend in prices,” experts predict.

The level of purchase prices for Ukrainian sunflower will support the global growth of prices for vegetable oils on the world market, the UGA believes.

On September 1, 25,000 first-graders will start school in Kyiv

On September 1, about 25,000 first-graders will start school in the Ukrainian capital, which is close to the pre-war figures, according to the website of the Kyiv City State Administration.

“It is thanks to our work and efforts that the educational process in Kyiv has not stopped. And this is despite the fact that during the large-scale war the Russian aggressor damaged 104 educational institutions in the capital. 83 of them have already been restored, while the rest are undergoing repairs. This year, about 25 thousand first-graders will go to Kyiv schools, which is close to the pre-war figures. I believe this is a manifestation of trust in us. And the desire of parents for their children to live and study in Ukraine, in Kyiv,” said Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko at an educational conference in August.

According to him, all 420 schools in the capital will start their work, the vast majority of them in a full-time format.

The mayor thanked the teachers for their work. According to Klitschko, 762 graduates received the maximum 200 points in the national multi-subject test.

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