On Friday, December 1, special vehicles, emergency vehicles and bus service for passengers from the left bank to the right bank of the Podilsko-Voskresenskyi Bridge crossing were opened in Kyiv to ensure life support during martial law, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
“At the first stage, bus route No. 111 will operate here in the direction of the metro station “Square of Ukrainian Heroes” – metro station “Livoberezhna,” Klitschko wrote in his telegram channel.
He emphasized that the Podilsko-Voskresenskyi bridge crossing is the largest of the transport infrastructure facilities in Kyiv and Ukraine: its length is more than 10 km.
“A few years ago, we planned and promised to ensure passenger traffic as the first stage of the facility’s launch. And today, it has finally happened! To all the skeptics and those who tried to block the work at the facility, I will say one thing: now look for other reasons for your manipulations,” the mayor added.
ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih Iron and Steel Works of Kryvyi Rih (AMKR, Dnipro region) intends to increase capacity utilization from 30% to 50% in 2024.
“In 2024, we plan to increase production and increase production capacity by operating two blast furnaces. Thus, the utilization of our production facilities will increase from 30 to 50 percent,” said Mauro Longobardo, CEO of AMKR, receiving a delegation from the German Embassy led by Ambassador Martin Eger at the plant.
The visit program included discussions with the plant’s management on the current state of the enterprise and its development prospects, as well as a visit to blast furnace production.
According to Longobardo, the plant is ready to increase production as soon as possible and support Ukraine in its post-war recovery. To this end, the company has retained its staff, avoided layoffs, and all production equipment is in working order despite power outages and even rocket attacks.
“We are also steadily pursuing the path of transformation into a company that consistently reduces its environmental impact. Several steps in this direction have already been taken, such as the closure of outdated facilities: coke oven batteries No. 1-2, a sinter plant for metallurgical production, as well as the commissioning of such modern production facilities as coke oven batteries No. 5-6,” the CEO said, as quoted by the press service.
In turn, Yeher, discussing Ukraine’s postwar recovery, noted that “when the time comes for postwar reconstruction, it is important not to return the facility to its prewar state but to bring it to a modern level.”
“We have to rebuild the best. Especially since Ukraine will be a member of the European Union. I am confident that all this can be achieved, and ArcelorMittal will play an important and demonstrative role in this process,” the German ambassador summarized.
“ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih is the largest rolled steel producer in Ukraine. It specializes in long products, including rebar and wire rod.
ArcelorMittal owns the largest mining and metallurgical plant in Ukraine, ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, and a number of small companies, including ArcelorMittal Berislav.
Mittal Steel Corporation acquired a 93.02% stake in Kryvorizhstal in an open tender on October 24, 2005 for UAH 24.2 billion at a starting price of UAH 10 billion, after which the plant was renamed Mittal Steel Kryvyi Rih and later ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih.
Arcelor Mittal Duisburg GmbH (Germany) owns 95.1283% of AMKR shares.
The authorized capital of the plant is UAH 3 billion 859.533 million.
Import of goods in Jan-Sept 2023 in most important positions to previous 2022
Source: Open4Business.com.ua and experts.news
Benchmark oil prices are moderately falling on Friday morning after a sharp decline on Thursday, as investors continue to assess the outcome of the OPEC+ ministerial meeting held the day before.
The price of February futures for Brent on the London ICE Futures exchange at 7:14 a.m. is $80.63 per barrel, which is 23 cents lower than at the close of the previous session. The day before, these contracts fell by $2.02 (2.4%) to $80.86 per barrel.
Quotes for January futures for WTI in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) by this time fell by 4 cents to $75.92 per barrel. At the end of the previous session, they fell by $1.9 (2.4%) to $75.96 per barrel.
OPEC+ did not change the official quotas following the meeting that ended the day before, while some countries of the group will voluntarily reduce production by 2.2 million barrels per day in the first quarter of 2024. Saudi Arabia will reduce production by 1 million bpd, Iraq – by 223 thousand bpd, UAE – by 163 thousand bpd, Kuwait – by 135 thousand bpd, Kazakhstan – by 82 thousand bpd, Algeria – by 51 thousand bpd, Oman – by 42 thousand bpd.
Russia will extend and deepen its existing export restrictions. Until the end of 2023, there will be a 300 thousand bpd restriction on the export of oil and oil products compared to May-June 2023. The Russian authorities have announced that the country will increase this reduction by another 200 thousand bpd to 500 thousand bpd and extend it to the first quarter of 2024, while oil supplies will be reduced by 300 thousand bpd and oil products by 200 thousand bpd.
“Initially, oil prices jumped on the news of the extension and deepening of oil production cuts, but investors are worried about OPEC’s compliance with the terms of the deal, as well as about the growth in global fuel demand,” wrote Rob Hayworth, Chief Strategy Officer at U.S. Bank Asset Management Group.
Norway will allocate NOK 200 million (approximately EUR 17 million) to the World Food Program, including the Grain from Ukraine program, and NOK 50 million (approximately EUR 4 million) will be transferred to the World Bank’s Ukraine Fund, the Norwegian government said in a statement.
“Norway will continue to support the people of Ukraine. At the same time, we do not lose sight of other crises in the world. The Nansen Program (5-year support program for Ukraine – IF-U) is one example of how we manage to combine these efforts,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in a statement.
In addition, it is noted that another 150 million Norwegian kroner (about EUR 12 million) will be allocated to the World Food Program in response to its call for emergency assistance to Ukraine.
“In addition to providing food aid near the front line, these funds will be used to demine agricultural land, allowing farmers to return to food production as soon as possible,” the statement said.
The growth of effective demand in the “comfort+” category in the capital region is 3-5% per month, said Daria Bedia, Marketing Director of DIM Group of Companies.
“In liquid projects in the comfort+ category in the price range of $1300-1500 per square meter with stable construction dynamics and a high-quality concept, the monthly increase in effective demand is 3-5%,” Daria Bedia told Interfax-Ukraine, citing data from the company’s analytical report.
According to her, the positive dynamics since the end of spring is a good signal and indicates that buyers are now ready to invest in a comfortable and safe living environment in Ukraine that will fully meet their requirements and expectations.
These requirements, according to Bedi, include a well-thought-out concept that takes into account different life scenarios in both the spatial zoning of the territory and the filling of functions. A diverse multifunctional infrastructure that reflects the expectations of the target groups of buyers, a well-thought-out apartment layout and a variable range of planning solutions, energy independence of the complex, in particular, the availability of alternative power sources for water supply or power for elevator equipment, a customer-oriented service company and an access control system are mandatory.
“The level of demand is directly influenced by the concept of the project itself, the stage of construction, and especially the real construction dynamics at the site, the developer’s reputation, and flexible purchase terms, both in installments and 100% payment,” explained the marketing director of DIM Group.
Today, most buyers in the comfort+ segment are interested in one-bedroom apartments of 40-47 sq. m. with a kitchen-living room of 20 sq. m. and a separate bedroom with a dressing room. The top two-room apartments are 68 to 75 sq. m. with two separate bedrooms, a kitchen-living room of 20 sq. m., three-room apartments of 85-90 sq. m. with three separate bedrooms, one of which is a master bedroom with its own bathroom and wardrobe, a large kitchen-living room is also a priority.
Daria Bedia added that transactions for the purchase of business class apartments with an average price of $2 thousand per square meter have become more frequent in the primary real estate market. At the beginning of the fall, business class accounted for 25% of sales, although in the spring this figure was 15%.
DIM Group was founded in 2014 and consists of six companies covering all stages of construction. To date, it has commissioned 12 buildings in six residential complexes with a total residential area of over 218 thousand square meters. Six residential complexes of “comfort+” and “business class” categories are under construction: “New Autograph, Metropolis, Park Lake City, Lucky Land, etc.
