KYIV. Sept 28 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The seventh round of talks between Ukraine and Israel on signing of the free trade agreement was held in Tel-Aviv. The sides reached preliminary agreements on the liberalization of the industrial goods markets, the Economic Development and Trade Ministry of Ukraine has reported on its website.
“We conducted an intensive round with Israel and worked on the most important issues linked to the liberalization of the goods markets and approved the relevant provisions of the draft agreement,” the ministry’s press service said, citing Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Ukraine’s Trade Representative Natalia Mykolska.
She said that according to the exports strategy Israel for Ukraine is the market to focus on.
The ministry said that now exports of Ukrainian goods to Israel shows confident growth: in seven months through July 2017 exports of goods from Ukraine to this country totaled $345.7 million, which is 25.6% more than a year ago.
Mykolska said that the future joining of Ukraine the Regional Convention on pan-Euro-Mediterranean preferential rules of origin (PEM Convention), and Israel is the contracting party of the convention, would allow Ukrainian goods to become a part of global chains of added value.
As reported, Ukraine could join the PEN Convention on January 1, 2018.
KYIV. Sept 27 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The deadline for implementing a catalog of measures to join the European Network of Transmission System Operators (ENTSO-E) by Ukraine is July 2022, according to a presentation of Ukrenergo Head Vsevolod Kovalchuk at a roundtable in the Verkhovna Rada held on September 22.
According to the document, then Ukraine is to work in the isolated mode (detached from Russia). Eventually ENTSO-E is obliged to discuss the integration of its operation with the Ukrainian power grid.
Ukrenergo said that the integration with ENTSO-E would considerably strengthen stability of the Ukrainian power grid and minimize dependence on coal supplies to the country’s power plants. The general technological level of exploitation of the power grid and security of supplies would expand thanks to tough requirements for the preparation for the integration.
Ukrenergo predicts that the integration would allow boosting annual volumes of trade with electricity with European countries from current 4-5 billion kWh to 18-20 billion kWh. This is linked to the more effective use of existing production facilities, in particular, nuclear power plants.
The integration would also bring European rules of protecting consumers’ rights and improve the quality of services.
The company said that consumers would be able to freely choose the best supplier for themselves, including foreign ones, in the conditions of the new market model.
“The free commercial exchange of electricity, its exports and imports on the transparent market conditions between Ukraine and Europe is the best tool for preventing monopoly, forming the fair price of electricity and related services on the domestic market,” Kovalchuk said.
He proposed that the key tasks for the integration at the parliamentary level are set, a coordination center at the Cabinet of Ministers is created and a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) on the issue is held to coordinate the processes linked to Ukraine’s joining ENTSO-E.
KYIV. Sept 27 (Interfax-Ukraine) – DTEK Naftogaz on Monday started drilling well No. 25 in the Semyrenkivske gas condensate field seeking to reach the depth of 5,714 meters, the press service of the company has reported.
The press service said that Belorusneft is involved in drilling. The company won a tender to drill four wells in this field. Italy’s Drillmec 1500HP drilling rig made in 2014 and other equipment will be used for drilling.
DTEK Naftogaz attracted one of the leaders of the international service market – Schlumberger – to drill a tilting section of the well.
“Less than two months have passed since the conclusion of the contract until full mobilization with the installation of the rig. We are ready to start drilling operations using modern equipment and technologies. We are confident that our cooperation with Belarusian partners will be a successful example for the entire industry and will provide the new contribution to the energy independence of the country,” DTEK Naftogaz CEO Ihor Schurov said.
KYIV. Sept 27 (Interfax-Ukraine) – DuPont Pioneer, one of the largest seeds producers in the world, has launched a sunflower seed production line in the village of Stasy (Poltava region).
The company said in a press release that investment in the launch of the line totaled $5 million. Total investment in the seed complex is over $55 million.
“I am proud that DuPont Pioneer continues investing in the facility, despite challenges Ukraine faces now. This would help us to boost sunflower production and complete the ambitious task to expand our presence on the Ukrainian market,” Head of the Agricultural Unit of DowDuPont in Central and Eastern Europe Ihor Teslenko said.
As reported, the line’s capacity is 200,000 sunflower seeds. After its launch, the plant’s total capacity will be more than 700,000 seeds (corn and sunflower together).
DuPont Pioneer sells its seeds in more than 90 countries.
The company opened its representative office in Kyiv in 1998 and began work on testing new hybrids of corn and sunflower. In 2001, Pioneer Nasinnia Ukraine LLC was registered, and on August 27, 2010 the company officially announced the opening of its research and development center in Kyiv region.
KYIV. Sept 27 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Zorya-Mashproekt state-owned enterprise (Mykolaiv) participating in the Ukrainian gas transport system (GTS) modernization program has supplied new energy equipment for the Hrebinkivska compressor station in Poltava region.
The press service of the enterprise reported that three DG90L2.1 gas turbine engines 16 MW each were shipped to public joint-stock company Ukrtransgaz.
“As part of the modernization of the Hrebinkivska station, second generation engines DZh59 will be replaced by modern ones having a higher efficiency, which will significantly reduce fuel consumption. DG90 is a line of commercially produced engines. Since the moment of their designing, 340 units of this equipment have been shipped to various customers and successfully operated,” the press service said.
The enterprise said that the engines supplied to the Hrebinkivska compressor station are the first engines that, at the request of the customer, have been modernized to meet the EU environmental requirements, in particular, the nitrogen oxide emission requirements. The upgraded engines successfully passed the tests and confirmed all the claimed characteristics,” the enterprise said.
“For the reconstruction of the Hrebinkivska compressor station Zorya-Mashproekt will also supply modern digital automatic control systems and fuel systems. The engines will be replaced by Zorya-Mashproekt experts,” the enterprise said.
