KYIV. Aug 14 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is eyeing the allocation of EUR100 million for the modernization of public transportation infrastructures in a number of Ukrainian cities, the bank said in a report published on Thursday. The focus will be placed on renovation and increasing transport’s efficiency.
The EBRD Board of Governors will consider the projects on October 14, 2015, it said.
The loans may be extended to public transportation companies in Odesa, Chernihiv, Chernivtsi and some other Ukrainian cities on municipality guarantees.
Before the agreements are signed, the EBRD is set to allot up to EUR 2.5 million under technical cooperation projects and another EUR 5.5 million will be granted after the signing is done.
The bank also said that its Board of Governors would consider on October 14 the allotment of EUR 8 million to the Odesmiskelectrotrans public utility company for buying 45 trolley buses.
According to consultation and technical cooperation in the subproject, EUR 50,000 is to be allocated before signing the agreement and EUR 350,000 – afterwards.
As reported, funding of the purchase of trolleybuses for Odesa is a long term project, more specifically – a 12-year project.
According to Odesa Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov, the renewal of the trolleybus fleet of the city is long overdue, service life of 100 out of 140 available trolleybuses in the city has expired. However the city budget can’t afford to buy 45 trolleybuses.
According to experts, the last time Odesa bought new trolleybuses was in 2009, when 16 new trolleybuses appeared on the city streets. In 2013, Odesa also bought 13 previously used trolleybuses from the Czech Republic.
KYIV. Aug 14 (Interfax) – The European Commission has issued a fourth tranche of EUR 8.55 million under the program of support to the sectoral border management policy in Ukraine, the EU Delegation to Ukraine has reported.
Via the sectoral support program, the European Union is contributing to the modernization of the State Border Service and the Fiscal Service of Ukraine through the improvement of laws, norms and regulations and the introduction of better mechanisms for control and the modernization of border crossing infrastructure consistent with EU standards, it said.
Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine Thomas Frellesen said he was confident that the financial support by the EU would strengthen cooperation between agencies involved in integrated border management; that would result in a more effective oversight over border control and the migration of citizens from other countries in accordance with Ukraine’s obligations under the action plan on visa liberalization.
He also said that funds would further facilitate cross border trade and speed up the demarcation of the border and the introduction of an e-customs system.
KYIV. Aug 14 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is mulling a EUR 10 million loan to the district heating utility municipally owned enterprise Chernivtsiteplokomunenergo, operating in the city of Chernivtsi, the EBRD said in a statement.
The funds will be used to finance the installation of individual heating sub-stations, biofuel boilers, network replacement with pre-insulated pipes, modernization of boilers and control systems, and the installation of monitoring and dispatching system in the city, the EBRD said.
The EBRD finance includes EUR 7 million in an EBRD loan to the company, and EUR 3 million from the Clean Technology Fund (CTF), both secured by a municipal guarantee of the city.
The project is expected to be co-financed by a grant of up to EUR 4 million from the Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership (E5P).
The project is to be co-financed by a local contribution of up to EUR 2 million.
The total cost for the feasibility study assignment was EUR 180,000 financed under the Ukraine District Heating Project Preparation Framework by the government of Sweden. The estimated total cost for the IFRS audit assignment is EUR 20,000, proposed to be financed by the EBRD’s own resources.
What is more, the company’s corporate development program to improve financial and operational performance of the company. The estimated total cost for the assignment is EUR 250,000, proposed to be financed by a bilateral or multilateral donor or the EBRD Shareholder Special Fund (SSF).
The estimated total cost for project implementation support covering procurement advisory services, implementation support and contract supervision is EUR 450,000, proposed to be financed by a bilateral or multilateral donor or the SSF.
KYIV. Aug 14 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine intends to speed up repairs on its thermal power plants and to increase the capacity of electricity supplies to Poland by 400 MW, Energy and Coal Industry Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Demchyshyn has said.
At the moment, the capacity of power supplies from Burshtyn thermal power plant to Poland is 600 MW, the ministry’s press service said quoting Demchyshyn.
Demchyshyn added that Ukraine currently itself imports electricity from Russia under the previously signed contract.
“The contract has worked exactly as planned – as insurance against force majeure, and imports will be stopped as soon as we restore our own capacity,” he stressed.
The minister also said that the group of experts left for private thermal power plants (TPPs) to check if the currently unscheduled repairs are expedient. The ministry is also conveying to DTEK the need to ensure a more even provision of its power plants with coal.
“Apart from the problems of the TPPs, we now have a very low production on hydroelectric power plants due to low water levels. The hydroelectric power plants on the Dnipro River generally have the lowest level of power generation in history. However, the lessons of the heating season were not in vain, and we are ready for this situation,” the minister summed up.
As reported, Poland imposed restrictions on electricity consumption due to heat.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk earlier instructed the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry in connection with the critical situation in the energy system of Poland to take urgent measures to ensure the highest technically possible supply of electricity to Polish power grids.
KYIV. Aug 14 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The National Bank of Ukraine intends by the end of the year to increase international reserves to at least $15 billion to implement the world’s recognized indicator of reserves adequacy to cover three months of imports, NBU Head Valeriya Gontareva has said in an interview with the Focus magazine.
“We plan by the end of the year to increase forex reserves to $18 billion. This is certainly ambitious plans, while the minimum objective for us is $15 billion, which cover three months of imports,” she said.
Speaking about cleaning the banking system, the NBU head noted it has been completed. Now the National Bank moves to the second stage: to restart it, while seeking a full disclosure of the structure of their ultimate owners.
“We consider 44 banks as non-transparent. In the course of analysis this figure could increase. Of these 44 banks two have been recognized problem, 14 banks got a notification from us that their ownership structures are officially recognized as non-transparent,” Gontareva said.
As reported, the NBU international reserves in July increased by $112 million, or by 1.1%, to $10.375 billion. In early August the National Bank received the $1.7 billion second tranche of the EFF program from the International Monetary Fund.
KYIV. Aug 13 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Cattle numbers in Ukraine (excluding the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the ATO zone) as of August 1, 2015 amounted to 4.403 million animals, which is 7.1% less compared to the same period in 2014.
According to the State Statistics Service, the number of cows during this period decreased by 6.2% and amounted to 2.226 million animals.
The number of pigs fell by 3.3%, to 7.724 million animals, sheep and goats by 6%, to 1.726 million animals.
Poultry numbers in the country compared to August 1, 2014 decreased by 4.8%, amounting to 248.765 million birds.
