KYIV. Feb 21 (Interfax-Ukraine) – ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih plans in 2017 to use $400 million in capital and operating investments in the development of the plant.
According to a company press release, the funds will be spent on modernization of production, improving the environment, the overhauls of equipment and construction of new facilities, in particular, the second continuous casting machine.
The press service noted the main tasks of this phase of the investment program are to improve performance, replace obsolete equipment with new environmentally sound, and significantly improve the ecological environment both in Kryvy Rih and in the whole region.
According to CEO of ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih Paramjit Kahlon, the amount of funds invested in the development of the enterprise is another confirmation of not only the commitments undertaken when buying the mill but also the readiness to fully upgrade ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih by 2020.
KYIV. Feb 21 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The State Agency of Automobile Roads of Ukraine (Ukravtodor) and the Ministry of Infrastructure have signed an action plan to reform PJSC Automobile Roads of Ukraine for the next three years.
According to the press service of the company, the document has been submitted to the government for review, while planned activities were officially started on February 20.
These agencies will control the reform process.
“In July 2016 a new team under my presidency was set up with a view to transform the company, which serves 97% of Ukrainian roads, from unprofitable and almost unusable to a cost effective and competitive structure in the market. We have developed a clear reform plan covering the next three years and in 2017 we begin to implement active changes,” company head Artem Hrynenko said.
According to the company, by 2020 the company will have a vertically integrated structure with 24 branches, an updated asset structure, centralized procurement, fully automated processes and the staff of 16,000 people.
KYIV. Feb 21 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine in 2016 purchased nuclear fuel worth a total of $548.81 million, which is 14.7% (or $94.761 million) less than in 2015.
According to the State Statistics Service, over the period Ukrainian nuclear power plants purchased Russian fuel for $386.782 million, fuel made in Sweden for $162.028 million.
Thus, the share of nuclear fuel purchases by Ukraine in 2016 from TVEL (Russia) accounted for 70.5% in monetary terms, from Westinghouse (Sweden) for 29.5%.
As reported, Ukraine in 2015 purchased nuclear fuel worth $643.57 million, including Russian fuel for $610.883 million, Swedish fuel for $32.688 million.
KYIV. Feb 20 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Public joint-stock company Ukrgazvydobuvannia in January 2017 saw an 8.5% rise in crude oil refining (by 3,648 tonnes) year-over-year, to 46,528 tonnes, the company has told Interfax-Ukraine.
Light fuel production last month totaled 35,777 tonnes, propane butane output – 15,032 tonnes and other fuel – 4,332 tonnes.
Oil and gas condensate production last month fell by 5.5% or 2,400 tonnes year-over-year, to 40,900 tonnes.
Gas production grew by 0.3% or 3.6 million cubic meters, to 1.262 billion cubic meters (bcm).
Drilling in January 2017 totaled 17,330 meters (23.4% up year-over-year).
As reported, in 2016 Ukrgazvydobuvannia increased crude oil refining by 11.8%, to 515,400 tonnes.
Ukrgazvydobuvannia Commercial Director anticipates that refining in 2017 would grow by 3-7%, to 530,000-550,000 tonnes.
Ukrgazvydobuvannia, which is wholly owned by Naftogaz Ukrainy, is Ukraine’s biggest gas producer, accounting for about 75% of natural gas production.
KYIV. Feb 20 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade on February 14 included Pavlohrad Industrial Park in Dnipropetrovsk region in the register of industrial parks, which became the 18th one in the register.
According to a report on the ministry’s website, a land plot of 250 hectares is limited to the territories of state enterprise Pivdenmash and Pavlohrad factory of processing equipment.
The managing company of Pavlohrad Industrial Park is Investment and Innovation Center, a state-owned enterprise of Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration, which is recognized as the winner of the relevant tender conducted on January 18 this year.
As reported, the industrial park will allow creating about 5,000 new jobs, attracting more than $370 million in the development of industry in the region and getting additional revenues to the budgets of all levels.
It is divided into seven sectors in accordance with the production profile, which can be placed there. Engineering got 120 ha, production of construction materials some 50 ha, agricultural products processing some 25 ha, light industry and high tech technology 20 ha.
KYIV. Feb 20 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Imports of vehicles to Ukraine (new and used ones) grew by one third in 2016 compared to 2015, to 122,954 vehicles, while its value in U.S. dollars grew by 74%, to over $1.9 billion, the Ukrautoprom association has reported.
The association said that passenger cars’ share was a lion’s share of total vehicles imports – 87,776 cars for $1.442 billion, and over half of cars were imported from five countries: Germany (20%), Japan (13%), France (7%), the United States (7%) and Romania (6%).
Imports of passenger cars grew by 41% and average customs price – by $3,200, to $16,400.
The association said that despite liberalization of the conditions for importing used cars, their share of total imports fell from 39% in 2015 to 25% last year.
Around 91% of used cars out of 22,300 were imported from the EU at the average customs price of $7,800.
Imports of new passenger cars soared by 72%, to 65,500 for $1.266 billion.
Leader in supplies of new passenger cars was Japan (11,236). Germany is second with 6,883 cars and the United States is third with 65,699 cars. Romania is fourth with 5,422 cars and Slovakia is fifth with 4,572 cars.
