The Epicenter K Group, developing the agricultural business since 2016, has invested UAH 6 billion in agriculture and plans to invest UAH 2.5 billion more in silos, the co-owner of the company Halyna Hereha said at the Forum of Innovative Production Facilities Development held in Bila Tserkva on Thursday.
“We have invested UAH 6 billion in the agricultural sector, and we need another UAH 2.5 billion to complete the silo project. These are not only our funds, but also loans. Last year, we started building three silos and reconstructing six. Therefore, now a big investment is unrealistic,” she told Interfax-Ukraine.
According to Hereha, the company also intends to develop the dairy business. “We have animal husbandry of 20 dairy farms, but the volumes are small. In the future we plan to develop the business. There is a question of processing milk. We have not invested in animal husbandry yet, but we are discussing this,” she said.
Hereha also said that Epicenter also postponed the oilseeds processing project due to the unfavorable situation on the oilseeds market. “At present, the oil industry is declining, as producers cannot agree among themselves and simply dump the market. Therefore, we have stopped the processing process in the oil industry, but in the future we will do something interesting,” she said.
Hereha added that Epicenter is actively introducing new technologies, in particular, updating equipment and investing in the laboratory and precision farming. “In addition, we have a woodworking plant in Ivano-Frankivsk region. Now it makes a lot of products, a large percentage of them is exported, and some of them are for sale in the Epicenter [network],” she said.
The Kyiv City Council at a meeting on Thursday approved the attraction of a loan of EUR 110 million from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to buy rolling stock under the Kyiv City Public Transport Project II.
According to the decision, municipal enterprise Kyiv Metropoliten will receive a loan of EUR 50 million at 6% per annum and the period of up to 12 years, including the two year grace period for paying the principal of the loan. Municipal enterprise Kyivpastrans will receive EUR 60 million for the period of up to 13 years at 6% per annum, including the three year grace period.
As reported, Kyiv city after Lviv has become the second city in Ukraine and 21st in the region, which joined the Green Cities Project of the EBRD.
According to a press release of the Kyiv City Administration issued the signing of the memo, the city plans to use this programme to implement projects for the renewal of the Kyivpastrans and Kyiv Metropoliten’s fleet with new buses, trolleybuses and subway cars, as well as a comprehensive reconstruction of the tram line and the Kontraktova Ploscha stop and overhaul of the Metro Bridge.
Recently, the EBRD Credit Committee approved the concept of projects for an estimated total cost of EUR 320 million, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko then said.
Under the Green Cities programme the EBRD provides support to partner cities in designing and implementing Green City Action Plans and assistance in selecting investment programmes and providing financing by international donors. In particular, the Green City Action Plans include measures to improve urban infrastructure, quality of air, cleanness and availability of land and water resources, green space areas.
The pilot programmes were implemented in Georgia, Armenia and Moldova. The programme was then approved by the EBRD board in autumn 2016. Lviv city was the first Ukrainian city participated in the programme. The city managed to raise EUR 20 million for Zelene Misto municipal enterprise for building a waste treatment facility and the rehabilitation of the Hrybovychi solid household waste landfill.
In autumn 2018, the EBRD approved the extension of the Green Cities programme (Green Cities 2) with the provision of up to EUR 700 million. Currently the programme has over EUR 1 billion of confirmed financing, including over EUR 250 million that has been invested.
Coal mining enterprises in Ukraine in January-March 2019 reduced run-of-mine (ROM) coal production by 7.1% (by 594,500 tonnes) compared to the same period in 2018, to 7.765 million tonnes.
According to the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry, extraction of coking coal during the reporting period decreased by 24% (by 387,400 tonnes), to 1.227 million tonnes, and steam coal fell by 3.1% (by 207,100 tonnes), to 6.537 million tonnes.
Krasnolymanske LLC, under control of Vitaliy Kropachev, continued hiding information about its operations from the ministry started in September 2018.
The ministry said that in March 2019, ROM coal production fell by 11.9% (360,400 tonnes) compared with March 2018, to 2,664 million tonnes.
Coal mining enterprises managed by the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry reduced coal production by 19.5% (by 230,900 tonnes), to 955,500 tonnes, in particular extraction of coking coal grew by 10.1%, to 165,800 tonnes, while steam coal production fell by 23.8%, to 789,700 tonnes.
Mines in Donetsk region produced 2.524 million tonnes of coal (14% less compared with January-March 2018), Luhansk region some 111,700 tonnes (23.7% less), Dnipropetrovsk region some 4.74 million tonnes (2% less), Lviv region some 374,300 tonnes (8.6% less), and Volyn region some 14,300 tonnes (52.2% less).
One of the largest private gas production companies in Ukraine – private joint-stock company Ukrnaftoburinnia in January-March 2019 saw a 50% rise in gas production year-over-year, to 166 million cubic meters (mcm), and a 49% rise in oil and condensate production, to 21,000 tonnes, the company’s press service has reported.
“The growth of production indicators was linked to significant investment in exploratory drilling in 2018. The wells that were developed last year opened up a number of new deposits, the potential of which turned out to be somewhat higher than our expectations,” Head of the geology department Volodymyr Novikov said.
According to the results of 2018, Ukrnaftoburinnia increased natural gas production 38.1% compared to 2017, to 550.28 mcm.
Ukrnaftoburinnia is one of the largest private gas producing companies in Ukraine. Since 2010 it has been developing Sakhalynske oil and gas condensate field (Kharkiv region). The company operates 24 gas condensate, oil and gas wells. In the framework of agreements on joint activities it additionally operates ten gas condensate wells.
According to an information disclosure system of the National Commission for Securities and the Stock Market, the largest shareholders in the company are Deripon Commercial Ltd. (Cyprus) with 44.989%, companies Ares Systems Ltd. and Ariana Business Limited registered at the same address in London with 22.4996% and JKX Ukraine B.V. with 10%. MP Vitaliy Khomutynnik said in August 2016 that he owns Deripon Commercial Ltd. on parity basis with Ihor Kolomoisky.
The Kyiv City Administration in 2019 plans to send over UAH 100 million of budget funds to renovation of Kyiv funicular with its adaptation to modern conditions of operation, the press service of the administration has reported.
“Kyiv City Administration resolution No. 464 approved the respective work project,” the press service of the administration said, citing Deputy Chairman Dmytro Davtyan.
The project will be financed in accordance with the indicators of the Program of Economic and Social Development of Kyiv for 2018-2020 at the expense of budget funds. According to the explanatory note to the document, the total cost of the project is UAH 363.229 million.
The funicular is planned to be restored without changing its historical and legal status.
According to the press service, the ProExpo experts’ reports were taken into account when developing the renovation project.
In addition, as reported, in the near future an international tender for the purchase of new funicular cabins and equipment for them using the loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) will be announced.
Earlier it was reported that it is planned to spend EUR 6.5 million on two cabins of the funicular and the equipment.
Consumption of natural gas by Ukrainian metallurgical enterprises in January-March 2019 fell by 10% compared January-March 2018, to 460 million cubic meters (mcm).
According to the information sheet of the Ukrmetallurgprom association, in March, the volume of gas consumed by metallurgists amounted to around 150 mcm, which is 3% more than the previous month.
In January, 2019, electricity consumption by metal enterprises amounted to about 2.92 billion kWh (96% compared to January-March 2018). In March, around 1 billion kWh of electricity was consumed, which is 10% more than in February.
As reported, the metal enterprises of Ukraine in 2018 reduced natural gas consumption by 4% compared with 2017, taking into account enterprises in the temporarily uncontrolled territory, but increased by 4% without these enterprises, to 1.840 billion cubic meters.
Electricity consumption by metal enterprises in 2018 amounted to 11.76 billion kWh (102% of the consumption in 2017 taking into account enterprises in the temporarily uncontrolled territory, and 106% without them.
