KYIV. Jan 14 (Interfax-Ukraine) – DTEK in 2015 sent UAH 1.5 billion to the thermal power plants (TPP) repair campaign, the press service of the energy holding reported on Wednesday.
The press service said that DTEK finished 65 out of 66 repair actions, including four overhauls, five repair actions and 56 maintenance repair actions. A total of 55 power units, three turbines and seven boilers were repaired. Repair of power unit four of Zuyivska TPP was not carried out, as national energy company Ukrenergo has not agreed the application for putting the unit out of service for repair.
“DTEK’s TPPs are stably loaded: repair of equipment was finished, all DTEK’s TPPs received acts that they are ready to cope with autumn and winter peaks,” the company said.
As of January 11, 2016, coal stocks at DTEK TPPs’ warehouses were 1.55 million tonnes, which is 77% up year-over-year. Gas coal stocks were 1.13 million tonnes, anthracite and short-flame coal stocks were 420,000 tonnes. Supplies of anthracite and gas coal are stable.
DTEK said that the debt of state enterprise Energomarket for electricity transmitted by all DTEK’s TPPs reached UAH 4.7 billion as of January 1, 2016. The debt grew by 12.2% year-over-year.
Three out of five heating generation companies are under the control of Akhmetov’s DTEK – Skhidenergo (100%), Dniproenergo (72.9%) and Zakhidenergo (72.2%).
DTEK was established in 2005 to manage the energy assets of the System Capital Management group, owned by businessman Rinat Akhmetov. DTEK is a vertically integrated company involved in the production and enrichment of coal, and the generation and sale of electricity.
KYIV. Jan 14 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The National Commission for Securities and the Stock Market of Ukraine at a meeting on January 12 permitted Dragon Capital LLC to acquire a large stake in public joint-stock company Ukrainian Exchange (Kyiv).
The commission said that Dragon Capital CEO Tomas Fiala and Conebond Limited also received the permits to acquire shares in Ukrainian Exchange.
The commission permitted Dragon Capital LLC, Conebond Limited and Fiala to acquire a large stake in Dragon Capital LLC JV, a professional stock market player.
As reported, on November 27, 2015, the National Commission for Securities and the Stock Market permitted Teta Partners Ltd. affiliated with Univer Capital (Kyiv) to indirectly acquire shares in Ukrainian Exchange. 100% in Ukrainian Exchange Holding which holds 20.64% in Ukrainian Exchange will be bought. In addition, Univer Capital plans to acquire slightly over 2% of shares in Ukrainian Exchange. Thus, the group will hold around 23% of shares in the exchange.
KYIV. Jan 13 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine has permitted imports of beef and pork from Canada without additional certification as part of preparations for the introduction of the free trade area between the two countries.
“Ukraine has approved beef and pork exports from any Canadian federally registered establishment that meets certification requirements,” the Ministry Agriculture an Agri-Food of Canada reported.
The ministry said that following a successful inspection last September by Ukrainian authorities, 15 additional Canadian beef and pork establishments are now eligible to export, bringing the current total to 27.
The ministry said that industry estimates access to the Ukrainian market for Canadian beef and pork to be worth up to $50 million annually.
Canada is committed to strengthening commercial ties with Ukraine and securing improved market access for Canadian exporters.
Canada and Ukraine are currently undertaking the legal review of the negotiated text of the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement (CUFTA), and once signed, the parties can undertake their respective domestic implementation processes.
“Once fully implemented, the agreement will result in the elimination of all non-agricultural tariffs and the vast majority of Ukraine’s agricultural tariffs, including on Canadian beef, certain pork, pulses, grains, fish and seafood, canola oil, processed foods, and animal feed,” the ministry said.
Canada exported $35.7 million worth of agriculture and agri-food, and seafood products to Ukraine in 2014.
Total bilateral merchandise trade between Canada and Ukraine averaged $293.3 million from 2012 to 2014, and is expected to expand by 19% as a result of the implementation of the CUFTA.
KYIV. Jan 13 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine’s Ministry of Economic Development and Trade plans in 2016 to hold talks with the largest sovereign investment funds and private equity funds to attract investment in the country, the press service of the ministry has said, with reference to minister Aivaras Abromavicius.
“My task for 2016 is to inform the largest and most influential investment funds about opportunities in Ukraine. Unfortunately, they know little about us, and the information they get at best is incomplete or entirely false. If we want to attract serious investment, it is necessary to significantly increase the level of international communications,” the minister said.
According to Abromavicius, during a trip to the United Arab Emirates he held talks with representatives of the three largest funds in the country, namely Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Abu Dhabi Investment Council and Mubadala.
“These funds manage investment worth more than $1 trillion and invest in a variety of assets around the world – they know how to work in many regions with different risks,” the official said.
KYIV. Jan 13 (Interfax-Ukraine) – A first noncommercial IT project incubator entitled “1991 Open Data Incubator” was launched in Ukraine with support of the Ukrainian government, the information and communications department of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has reported.
The government said that the incubator will work with projects based on open public data.
“The project is intended to digitize agribusiness, energy, infrastructure projects, public services for citizens and create internal analytical systems in the state, establishing cooperation of IT designers, nongovernmental organizations and analytical centers with authorities,” the department said.
First participants of the incubator will be winners of the hackathon tenders scheduled for February 6. Projects that want to create a startup using open databases for agriculture, energy and infrastructure, projects on designing of electronic public services on the basis of state registers, analytical systems for ministries, regional administration and city halls can take part in the tender. Bids can be submitted from Smart City projects for Ukrainian cities.
SocialBoost NGO with support of Western NIS Fund (the U.S.) will manage the incubator.
KYIV. Jan 12 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine will be granted EUR 30 million of aid from the European Union due to the prolongation of the four cross-border cooperation programs, which were recently signed by the Economic Development and Trade Ministry of Ukraine with the European Commission.
As the ministry said on its Facebook page, this aid will be used for further development and modernization of international road checkpoints Krasnoilsk and Dyakivtsi on the Ukrainian-Romanian border; Rava-Ruska, Ustyluh-Zosin, Krakovets, Schehyni and Yahodyn on the Ukrainian-Polish border; Uzhgorod-Vyshne-Nimetske on the Ukrainian-Slovak border; and also Luzhanka-Berehshuran on the Ukrainian-Hungarian border.
Besides, a waterway checkpoint for canoers Vylok will be built on the border with Hungary.
The ministry said that the portion of the grant was meant for the development of modern IT-infrastructure in border guards and customs departments, to decrease the risk of flooding in cross-border zones, to improve the situation with pollution that had resulted from chemical waste deposits and discharge of waste water in the Lower Danube region, to conduct expert evaluation in order to integrate Ukrainian and Moldovan electrical systems into energy network ENTSO-E.
“Thanks to the signed agreements the EU has prolonged the following Joint Operational Programs of the Cross-Border Cooperation until December 31, 2016: ‘Romania-Ukraine-Moldova, 2007-2013’, ‘Poland-Belarus-Ukraine, 2007-2013’, ‘Hungary-Slovakia-Romania-Ukraine, 2007-2013’, ‘Black Sea Basin, 2007-2013’,” the ministry added.
