VR Capital Group (the United States), an alternative asset manager specializing in global emerging markets, has acquired the remaining stake in alternative energy projects jointly developed with ICU independent asset management, ICU reported on its website.
According to the report, deal covers green energy facilities in Kamyanets-Podilska solar plant (64 MW) in Khmelnytsky region, Solar Capital energy company (35 MW) in Kherson region and a number of small stations in Mykolaiv region (with a total capacity of 127 MW).
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
The ICU only said the transaction has been approved by the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine on July 4, 2019.
“I am still confident that these assets are in good hands and that the key alternative energy sector in Ukraine is positioned to attract further large foreign investments. We see a great potential in our economy and we continue our work with international investors,” said ICU managing partner Makar Paseniuk.
He said that VR Capital has been a visionary among western investors in understanding the enormous potential of Ukraine and being ready to support the country even during difficult times.
VR Capital Group Ltd., through its principal subsidiaries including VR Advisory Services Ltd (together, VR Capital Group) is an alternative asset manager with assets under management in excess of $4.5 billion. VR Capital Group’s external client base is primarily composed of institutional investors from the United States and Western Europe, including university endowments, charitable foundations, family offices and institutional asset allocators.
Founded in 2006, ICU is Ukraine’s leading asset manager with over $500 million in assets under management. Managing Partners Makar Paseniuk and Konstantin Stetsenko are majority shareholders of ICU.
ALTERNATIVE, DEVELOPED, ENERGY PROJECTS, ICU'S, SHARE, US VR CAPITAL
Ukrainian enterprises increased imports of copper and copper products in terms of money by 24.1% in January-August 2019 compared with similar period of 2018, to $75.131 million.
Exports of copper and copper products decreased 47.6% over the year to $58.229 million, according to customs statistics released by the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine.
In August, copper and copper products were imported to the tune of $11.752 million, and copper exports were estimated at $6.065 million.
In addition, in January-August 2019, Ukraine decreased imports of nickel and products made of it by 12.2%, to $58.301 million (imports in August were estimated at $5.468 million), while imports of aluminum and products made of it increased 5.7%, to $261.639 million ($33.214 million). Imports of lead and products made of it increased by 1.5%, to $8.906 million ($1.426 million) and imports of tin and products made of it decreased 27.7%, to $2.354 million ($0.316 million). Imports of zinc and zinc goods decreased 18.3%, to $48.884 million ($7.016 million).
Exports of aluminum and products made of it decreased 26.1% in January-August 2019, to $69.697 million ($9.157 million in August alone), while shipments of lead abroad decreased 32.7%, to $16.843 million ($1.929 million). Exports of nickel fell by 40.2%, to $3.48 million ($0.213 million in August).
Zinc exports in January-August 2019 amounted to $0.416 million ($0.031 million in August) compared to $0.18 in January-August 2018.
Exports of tin and products made of it in January-August 2019 were estimated at $0.03 million (no tin was exported in August) compared to $0.288 million in January-August 2018.
Milk production in Ukraine in January-August 2019 decreased by 3.5% compared to the same period in 2018, to 6.74 million tonnes.
According to the State Statistics Service, in January-August 2019, farmers produced 2.15 million tonnes of meat (live weight), which is 6.5% more than in the same period of 2018.
Egg production grew by 5.2%, to 11.64 billion units.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine and Slovakia would do their best for ensuring stable supplies of gas to Europe.
“Ukraine and Slovakia are reliable gas transit countries, and we will make every effort to ensure uninterrupted gas supplies to the European market,” he said at a briefing in Kyiv on Monday after meeting with Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová.
Switzerland’s Syngenta, a large seed and crop protection agent producer in the world, has completed the acquisition of all relevant assets of The Cropio Group, an Ag Tech company with one of the four offices located in Kyiv. The Cropio platform is an equipment-integrated, end-to-end software solution that provides imaging, recordkeeping, and equipment tracking. Approximately 10 million hectares of crops are currently managed using Cropio.
“Cropio is a leading player in the Eastern European digital agriculture market, and Syngenta is gaining a hub for Ag Tech innovation in Europe that will help increase farmer sustainability, productivity, efficiency and profitability,” Chief Information and Digital Officer at Syngenta Greg Meyers said.
With this acquisition, Syngenta will be the only agricultural company to have access to leading management platforms in the top four agriculture markets: in the United States with Land.db, Brazil with Strider, China with the Modern Agricultural Platform and now Eastern Europe with Cropio. Combined, more than 40 million hectares globally will be managed using a Syngenta digital tool, with a plan to double by the end of 2020.
The financial conditions of the deal are not disclosed.
President of the European Parliament David Sassoli has announced his readiness to visit Ukraine. He said this at a press conference in Brussels on Thursday. Speaking about the presentation of the Sakharov Prize to Ukrainian film director Oleh Sentsov, Sassoli said that at present Sentsov “has health problems.” “He has been invited to come to Brussels or Strasbourg to receive it. We will be extremely happy to see him if he is able to travel. Today, in the conference of presidents I said I am going to visit Ukraine myself,” the EP president said. Oleh Sentsov, together with 34 Ukrainians, arrived in Kyiv on September 7 as a result of the mutual release of detainees between Ukraine and Russia.
