KYIV. Jan 18 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine’s State Agency for Managing Chornobyl Exclusion Zone had received 39 applications for the allocation of land parcels to build solar power plants in the Chornobyl zone as of January 1, 2017, Ecology and Natural Resources Minister of Ukraine Ostap Semerak has said.
“On January 1, 2017, the first stage of collecting applications for the implementation of the projects finished. We received 39 applications from companies asking to localize the projects,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
As reported, the State Agency for Managing Chornobyl Exclusion Zone extended a deadline of submitting bids for the allocation of land parcels to build solar power plants in the Chornobyl zone until March 1, 2017.
The total area earmarked for construction of solar power plants is 1,172 ha.
Around 2 ha are required to build a solar power plant with the projected capacity of 1 MW.
KYIV. Jan 18 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko discussed prospects of developing cooperation and introduction of investment projects in Ukraine with President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Suma Chakrabarti in Davos (Switzerland).
“The head of state expressed hope that the EBRD would increase financing for cooperation with Ukraine in 2017,” the Ukrainian president’s press service reported on Tuesday.
The parties also discussed the banking sector reform.
“Chakrabarti praised Ukrainian authorities’ effort in the issue of nationalization of PrivatBank and confirmed the EBRD’s intention to further provide expert assistance in the reformation of this banking institution,” the press service said.
Poroshenko pointed out the key role of the EBRD as the manager of the Chornobyl Shelter Fund and the Nuclear Safety Account. It was agreed to continue cooperation in the area.
The EBRD president assured the Ukrainian president that the EBRD will continue supporting reforms in Ukraine.
KYIV. Jan 17 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Grain harvest in Ukraine 2016 has broken a record being 66 million tonnes (in standard weight) and it was 5.9 million tonnes more than in 2015.
Ukraine’s Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry reported that in 2016 grain yield records were hit: wheat – 42.1 centners per ha, rye – 27.3 centners per ha, corn – 66 centners per ha and peas – 31.3 centners per ha.
In general last year Ukraine threshed 26 million tonnes of wheat, around 28 million tonnes of corn, 9.4 million tonnes of barley, 391,500 tonnes of rye, 499,000 tonnes of oats, 176,400 tonnes of buckwheat, 745,600 tonnes of peas and 64,800 tonnes of rice.
Average yield of grain crops was 46.1 centners per ha.
The country also harvested 13.9 million tonnes of sugar beets (the yield is 482.4 centners per ha), 13.6 million tonnes of sunflower seeds (22.4 centners per ha), 4.3 million tonnes of soybeans (23.1 centners per ha), 20.9 million tonnes of potatoes (160.7 centners per ha), 9 million tonnes of vegetables (208.2 centners per ha) and 400,000 tonnes of grapes (95.7 centners per ha).
KYIV. Jan 17 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMC) has allowed Prydniprovsky oil extraction plant (Kropyvnytsky) to gain control over the oil extraction plant by purchasing production equipment from PJSC Zinkiv-Agrotrans (Poltava region).
According to the unified state register of legal entities and individuals, the owner of Prydniprovsky oil extraction plant is Andriy Verevsky, the founder and co-owner of Kernel, one of the largest Ukrainian agricultural groups. The owner of PJSC Zinkiv-Agrotrans is the State Property Fund.
According to data from the information disclosure system of the National Commission on Securities and the Stock Market, the value of Zinkiv-Agrotrans’ fixed assets as of the end of 2015 was UAH 600,000, the net loss in 2015 increased by 2.3 times, to UAH 450,000, net sales income decreased by four times, to UAH 320,000.
KYIV. Jan 17 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine plans in 2017 to launch several new trains to European cities, Infrastructure Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Omelyan has told to the Espreso TV Channel.
“Now we are considering a new direction to Poland. In addition, we want to launch a Mukacheve-Budapest train this year. It is also potentially a very interesting destination. We are considering the direction of Slovakia. During several last years it turned out that “train number one” was that to Moscow, but there should be one to Europe. And we are striving for this,” the minister said.
As reported, Ukrzaliznytsia launched new high-speed Intercity+ train No. 705/706 Kyiv-Lviv-Przemysl from December 23, 2016.
“The fare in the train from Kyiv to Przemysl in first class carriages is estimated at UAH 574, second class cars UAH 406, from Lviv to Przemysl in first class cars UAH 235, second class cars UAH 172,” a statement reads.
KYIV. Jan 16 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The government of Japan has handed medical equipment worth UAH 22.5 million to the Central Clinical Hospital of the State Border Service of Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Japanese Ambassador Shigeki Sumi took part in the ceremony of handing over the equipment in the hospital in Kyiv on Friday, the Ukrainian president’s press service reported.
“Today’s transfer of medical equipment is not the only example of cooperation between Ukraine and the UN and Japan, but also the first event of the Year of Japan in Ukraine, which symbolizes close cooperation between Ukraine and Japan,” the press service quoted Poroshenko as saying.
According to the report, the equipment transferred to the hospital includes – Toshiba 2016 CT scanner, the Olympus video endoscope system and the Calypso digital X-ray system. The equipment is worth a total of UAH 22.502 million.
Poroshenko and Shigeki Sumi visited the computer tomography room, examined the equipment and inspected working conditions of medical staff.
