The voluntary restructuring of feed-in tariff in wind energy is possible subject to other market reforms, according to a letter from foreign developers of large wind farms, namely NBT, Windkraft Ukraine, LongWing Energy, Greenworx Holding and Akuo Energy, which was sent to President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in late October.
According to the document, the restructuring may concern new wind farms or expansion of existing facilities, which will be commissioned on the basis of preliminary electricity sale and purchase contracts signed by the end of 2019, with the exception of projects or their stages being under construction or already having a financing agreement.
As an example, wind farm developers are considering a 5.0–7.5% reduction in the feed-in tariff rate for the wind farm project portfolio with a capacity of 1.9 GW compared to the feed-in tariff defined for wind farms for 2020–2022 in exchange for extension of the term of electricity sales contracts up to 15 years from the date putting wind farms into commercial operation.
At the same time, the authors of the letter oppose retrospective changes in the renewable energy market, drawing the head of state’s attention to the fact that the consequences of this option will be the loss of about $2.5 billion of direct investment, as well as the exit from the sector of foreign investors. According to the companies’ estimates, foreign investment in wind energy has already reached $1.2 billion, and an additional $2.5 billion is planned for the next three years.
In their opinion, the consequences of any retrospective changes to the previously approved by the law schemes for supporting wind energy incentives will be more significant than the problem of financing Guaranteed Buyer state enterprise.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he considers the investigation of the impact of ex-Vice President Joe Biden on the resignation of Prosecutor General of Ukraine Viktor Shokin in 2016 to be his duty.
“As President, I have an ‘obligation’ to look into corruption, and Biden’s actions, on tape, about firing the prosecutor, and his son’s taking millions of dollars, with no knowledge or talent, from a Ukrainian energy company, and more millions taken from China,” he wrote on Twitter commenting on the investigation in the framework of the impeachment proceedings initiated by the Democrats.
Ukraine’s low cost SkyUp Airlines on March 30, 2020 will launch direct flights from Kyiv to Bari (Italy).
The press service of the airline reported that the flights will be performed twice a week – on Mondays and Fridays.
The cost of a one-way ticket without luggage starts from UAH 1,694.
SkyUp Airlines LLC was registered in Kyiv in June 2016. The founder is ACS-Ukraine LLC of Tetiana and Yuriy Alba, who also own JoinUp! tour operator.
National bank of Ukraine’s official rates as of 13/11/19
Source: National Bank of Ukraine
Official rates of banking metals from national bank as of November 13
One troy ounce=31.10 grams
The law amending the law on automobile roads regarding the audit of road safety will open access to better financing of road construction by international financial institution (IFIs) for Ukraine, Senior Sector Engineer of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Per Mathiasen said at a press conference devoted to the results of the EIB Implementation Support to the Ukraine Urban Road Safety Project in Kyiv on Tuesday.
The European Investment Bank, the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, all of them stress the importance of road safety, he said.
Mathiasen said that Ukraine needed to change the construction of roads for the safety of road users.
The new law will ensure that safety will become an integral part of the design and planning of new roads, he said.
In addition, according to Mathiasen, the law will make new roads safe and accessible for everyone: cars, cyclists and public transport.
In turn, Deputy Infrastructure Minister of Ukraine Natalia Forsiuk recalled that the government has set two key goals in the field of road infrastructure: “reducing travel time by 10% and reducing the number of traffic accidents by 30%.”
“That is, traffic safety is the only immediate priority of the government [in this area],” she said.
The main priority of the EIB Implementation Support to the Ukraine Urban Road Safety Project, which is funded by the Eastern Partnership Technical Assistance Trust Fund and implemented by Egis Ukraine, is the development of the law of Ukraine on automobile roads regarding the audit of road safety, preparation of technical documentation and boosting the capacity necessary to implement the road infrastructure safety management procedures and to promote the adoption of the law and its enforcement.
In order to implement this project, on October 17, 2019, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the law amending certain legislative acts of Ukraine on road safety management. The law contains most of the provisions of EU Directive 2008/96/EC on road infrastructure safety management, which is a version of the EU law on road infrastructure safety management procedures.
As reported, acting head of the State Automobile Roads Authority of Ukraine (Ukravtodor) Slawomir Nowak said that EBRD and EIB are ready to provide Ukraine with a targeted loan in the amount of EUR 900 million for the development of the road industry in 2020.
The level of road accidents in Ukraine is much higher than in EU countries.
