KYIV. Aug 1 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Grain harvest in Ukraine could be 61 million tonnes, according to assessments of Ukraine’s Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry. This is 1 million tonnes more than the forecast presented earlier.
“According to tentative data from the regions, gross grain harvest in Ukraine in 2016 would be within 61 million tonnes. This would completely satisfy the needs and state food security. A good potential for supplies to foreign markets retains,” the press service of the ministry reported last week.
The ministry said that as of July 29, 2016, Ukraine threshed 29 million tonnes of early grain and leguminous crops on 7.6 million hectares. Average yield is 37.9 centners per ha (34 centners per ha in 2015).
Some 19.9 million tonnes of wheat were threshed on 4.9 million ha with the yield of 40.8 centners per ha.
Some 8.2 million tonnes of barley were threshed on 2.5 million ha with the yield of 33.1 centners per ha (29.2 centners per ha in 2015). Around 705,000 tonnes of peas were harvested from 223,000 ha (93% of the target) with the yield of 31.7 centners per ha (22.3 centners per ha).
Some 153,000 tonnes of rye were threshed on 60,000 ha with the yield of 25.7 centners per ha, and some 78,000 tonnes of oats were threshed on 31,000 ha with the yield of 25.2 centners per ha.
Some 1 million tonnes of winter rapeseeds were threshed on 395,000 ha (87%) with the yield of 26.2 centners per ha.
KYIV. Aug 1 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed a bill into law on Paris Climate Agreement ratification, which was passed by Ukraine’s parliament on July 14, 2016.
Ukraine signed the Paris agreement in New York on April 22, 2016. This agreement strengthens the implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which deals with greenhouse gases emissions mitigation and which was signed by Ukraine in 1997.
According to the document, Ukraine will not have any financial obligations under the agreement. As under Kyoto Protocol, financial assistance is likely to be attracted through mechanisms that provide for the implementation of voluntary cooperation in order to increase climate change prevention efficiency.
The agreement also provides for the establishment of a mechanism that will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“The ratification of the Paris agreements shows that our government is serious about climate change and is willing to act decisively to address it… it will promote a positive international image of Ukraine … it will give a clear signal for cooperation with international organizations and technical assistance projects,”, Ukraine’s Ecology Minister Ostap Semerak said when presenting the bill on the ratification of the Paris protocol in the Verkhovna Rada.
KYIV. July 29 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Yuzgas B. V. (the Netherlands) has won a tender to select an investor to implement the product sharing agreeing (PSA) and extract hydrocarbons on the Yuzivska field (Donetsk and Kharkiv regions).
“After receiving the approval from Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers the winner of the tender, Yuzgas B. V., will become the full participant of the PSA,” Nadra Ukrainy said on its website.
Nadra Ukrainy said that the selection panel consisted of heads of profile ministries, Nadra Ukrainy, Nadra Yuzivska LLC and lawmakers.
The company said that after the official withdrawal of Shell in September 2015, Nadra Yuzivska had 100% of rights and liabilities under the PSA. 90% of Nadra Yuzivska belonged to Nadra Ukraine and 10% to SPK-Geoservice.
On October 23, 2015, SPK-Geoservice decided to leave Nadra Yuzivska as a shareholder and today the sole owner of the company is Nadra Ukrainy.
The founder of Yuzgas B.V. is Emerstone Energy, part of Emerstone Capital Partners of businessman Jaroslav Kinach. Kinach is also president of Iskander Energy that sought to restore methane wells in coal beds of Donetsk region. In 1990s he was Ukraine Country Head of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in Ukraine.
The area of the Yuzivska field is 7,886 square kilometers.
KYIV. July 29 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The government intends to build unit four of Dnistrovska hydroelectric pumped storage power plant before 2020.
This is outlined in the hydroelectric generation development program until 2026 approved by government resolution No. 552-r dated July 13.
According to preliminary calculations it will cost UAH 2.796 billion. The capacity of the unit will be 324 MW in generating mode and 421 MW in pumping mode.
In 2016-2023, the government seeks to build Kaniv hydroelectric pumped storage power plant with a capacity of 1 GW. Its cost is UAH 11.98 billion ($1.5 billion in the prices of 2013).
The government will approve the revised project on the completion of hydroelectric unit three of Tashlyk hydroelectric pumped storage power plant at the end of this year.
According to the program, a feasibility study for construction of Kakhovka hydroelectric pumped storage power plant two is being drafted. The approximate cost of the project is EUR 420 million. The projected capacity is 250 MW. The project will be implemented in 2019-2014. The government also plans to build six channeling hydroelectric power plants with a total projected capacity of 390 MW on the upper reaches of Dnipro River (the preliminary cost is EUR 1.1 billion).
The program also envisages the second phase of reconstruction of hydroelectric power plants of Ukrhydroenergo (76 units).
KYIV. July 29 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved the state order for 64 scientific and technical (experimental) inventions as well as scientific and technical production in 2016.
The corresponding decision was taken at a government meeting on Wednesday.
Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Liliia Grynevych said the inventions would be launched in 2016 and completed by 2018.
State order is provided, among other things, for eight innovations in the field of information and communication technologies, 10 – in the power industry and energy efficiency, 5 – in the rational use of natural resources, 10 – in the life science and diseases prevention and 13 – in new substances and materials.
According to the minister, the implementation of the state order does not provide for additional state budget expenditures.
KYIV. July 29 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Enterprises forming Ukraine’s aerospace sector saw a combined 47% rise in production in January-June 2016 year-over-year, to UAH 1.35 billion, the press service of the State Space Agency of Ukraine (SSAU) has reported.
Sales in H1 2016 grew by 39.6%. The exports share was around 60% of total sales, and this was 1.5 times up year-over-year. The key exporters were State Scientific Production Enterprise Kommunar Corporation, Pivdenne Design Bureau, Hartron and Special Device Production State Enterprise Arsenal.
Enterprises engaged in the provision of communications and engineering services, researches added to production growth: Arsenal, Dniprovsky Design Institute, Instrumental Building Technology Scientific and Research Institute, Pivdenne Design Bureau and Ukrkosmos.
The agency said that today it manages 26 aerospace enterprises and institutions, including 17 state-run enterprises, four joint-stock companies and five budget-funded institutions.
In 2015, production by aerospace enterprises in Ukraine grew by 1.8%, to UAH 2.9 billion, and sales rose by 5.7%, to UAH 3.05 billion.
