Finland’s Peikko Group Corporation has announced the commissioning of an industrial building for a future plant for the production of concrete joints and composite structures in Bila Tserkva Industrial Park, with planned investments of EUR3 million, according to Dmytro Kysylevskyi, deputy chairman of the parliamentary committee on economic development.
“The import of equipment will continue through May, after which the plant will start producing products for the needs of the construction industry,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
The MP clarified that Peikko Group will take advantage of tax and customs incentives for participants in the IP. In particular, the legislation provides for the possibility of exemption from VAT and import duties on equipment imports. The company will create about 50 jobs.
Peikko Group has production facilities in 12 countries. Since 2023, the company has been represented in Ukraine by its subsidiary Peikko Ukraine, which participates in infrastructure rehabilitation projects. Peikko’s annual turnover in 2023 amounted to EUR262 million.
As reported, last summer Peikko Group entered into an agreement with Bila Tserkva for the construction of a turnkey plant for the production of concrete joints and composite structures with an area of 2400 square meters. Bila Tserkva and Bila Tserkva-2, with an area of over 24 hectares and over 34 hectares, respectively, are projects of the UFuture holding company owned by entrepreneur Vasyl Khmelnytsky.
The Book Country III festival (VDNKh, April 24-27) was attended by 72.5 thousand visitors, with approximately 90 thousand books purchased for a total of UAH 28 million, said CEO Yevhen Mushkin.
“The results of Book Country III are 72,537 visitors. A year ago, there were 68 thousand, and in the fall there were 73 thousand. Although the sharp cold snap and wind prevented us from breaking our own attendance record, people bought more books than last year. According to the data from the fair participants, about 90,000 books were purchased at the Book Country festival for a total of UAH 28 million. And here we have a record,” Mushkin wrote on Facebook.
He also said that the average age of visitors is 25. The majority of visitors came from Kyiv (85%) and the capital’s region (9%), with guests from Odesa, Poltava, Chernihiv, Dnipro, Lviv, and Kharkiv regions.
The average price of a book, according to the visitors’ survey, is 416 UAH, while according to publishers and bookstores, it is 306 UAH. 814 parcels with books were sent by Nova Poshta directly from the festival.
“In four days, 365 events took place in the Book Country (!): 120 presentations, 72 discussions, 63 creative and literary workshops, 60 autograph sessions, 30 readings, 10 game library sessions (board game competitions or tournaments), four theater performances, and six quests. These events were attended by about 13 thousand people,” Mushkin said.
The next Book Country will take place on September 25-28.
Individual customers of OTP Bank purchased domestic government bonds (OVDP) worth a total of UAH 2.78 billion at the end of the first quarter of 2025. This was announced by Valeria Ovcharuk, product owner at OTP BANK.
She noted that 20% of investments were made in hryvnia OVDPs and 80% in foreign currency. “As we can see, our clients choose a reliable and effective way to preserve and multiply their funds in foreign currency. Currently, individuals see this as the best investment option for their savings. For many, it is important to support the Ukrainian economy in this way, as securities are sold, among other things, to finance the state budget,” emphasized V. Ovcharuk.
In the first quarter, customers bought securities worth a total of UAH 1.29 billion from the Bank’s portfolio, while bonds worth UAH 1.49 billion were purchased directly at auctions held by the Ministry of Finance.
In total, since the launch of the OVDP purchase service in the OTP Bank UA app at the end of 2023, the Bank’s customers – individuals – have purchased OVDPs worth more than UAH 11 billion.
We would like to remind you that you can purchase OVDPs from the Bank’s portfolio or directly at Ministry of Finance auctions via the OTP Bank UA mobile app. In addition, the Bank has recently simplified the procedure for opening securities accounts – this can now be done remotely, with the help of OTP Bank UA, without the need to visit a branch. You can find out more about investing in government bonds through the app at link.
On April 24, Bila Tserkva Industrial Park hosted the international forum “Industrial Evolution: Production turns on the economy” was held in Bila Tserkva Industrial Park. The event brought together more than 1000 participants – representatives of Ukrainian manufacturing companies, the government, international partners and investors – to discuss how to restore Ukraine’s industry, attract investment and launch a new industrial economy.
In four panel discussions, leading experts discussed key issues of industrial development in Ukraine: prospects for industrial growth, the role of industrial parks, investment mechanisms, innovation, and effective interaction between the state and business.
The first panel discussion “The Road to a Strong Economy” was attended by Mykhailo Fedorov, Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine for Innovation, Education, Science and Technology Development and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, Viktor Mykyta, Deputy Head of the Presidential Office, Ruslan Kravchenko, Head of the State Tax Service, and Kostiantyn Yefymenko, President of Biopharma Plasma.
“If we want to see Ukraine among the top 30 countries in the world in terms of GDP, we must develop technologies and innovations: microelectronics, chips, drones and other breakthrough areas. That is why we have created the WINWIN Strategy for Digital Development of Innovations in Ukraine until 2030, which unites 14 areas – from fintech to AI. We are already working on various tools to create conditions for the development of innovations in Ukraine: incentives, regulatory fast tracks, access to financing, and mechanisms for opening new markets. After all, digitalization, technology, and innovation should become the foundation of our economic development,” said Mykhailo Fedorov.
In his speech, Vasyl Khmelnytsky, the initiator of the forum and founder of UFuture holding, emphasized that industrial parks are the key to economic growth and the return of Ukrainians home.
“It is possible to bring our people back from abroad. We need to create competitive opportunities in Ukraine – quality education, jobs, decent wages, living standards and services. An industrial park is just such a point of economic growth and a magnet for innovation, investment and talent. The support of industrial parks by the state and local communities is an investment. Last year, we transferred UAH 18 million in taxes to the local budget, this year – UAH 25 million, and next year – UAH 50 million. In 20 years, we will have paid more than a billion. And this is only the local level. Today, we are laying the foundation for the future 15-20 years ahead,” Vasyl Khmelnytsky said.
The forum also saw the opening of a new plant by Peikko Group (Finland), a leading European manufacturer of solutions for monolithic and prefabricated construction. The enterprise, built on the territory of the industrial park, is an example of foreign business confidence in the potential of Ukrainian industry. The launch of the plant means new jobs, technology transfer and an additional impetus for the development of the production cluster in Bila Tserkva.
“We are investing in Ukraine because of your talent and excellent engineering skills. You have a lot of good know-how and production, a lot of demanding consumers, which is good. And you have a sales market that functions in such a difficult environment, but still works. And this is enough for us to open our production here. It was a risk worth taking. The question was not “why in Ukraine?” but “why not in Ukraine?” And I could not find any reasons why not. That is why we, a European company, are here today. And I would like to emphasize that Ukraine’s place is in Europe,” said Topi Paananen, CEO of Peikko Group, at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the plant’s opening.
In addition, Minister of Community and Territorial Development Oleksiy Kuleba and Viktor Mykyta met with business representatives from different regions during the forum. The conversation was dynamic and constructive.
The event featured a Made in Ukraine expo zone, which presented modern technologies and innovations that are already changing production, urban infrastructure and industrial logistics. Among the solutions presented were automation equipment, construction and infrastructure equipment, machinery for the utility sector, systems for electric mobility, welding, ventilation and material processing, as well as components for industrial and automotive electronics.
The forum showed that despite the war, the Ukrainian industry is not stopping, but is looking for ways to develop and partner. The event has become a space for networking, presenting solutions and finding common ground between business, investors and the government.
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has improved its estimate of the electricity deficit in Ukraine this year from 4% to 3% and next year from 2% to 1% due to rapid repairs and development of distributed generation.
“Rapid repairs of shunting generation and energy infrastructure, development of distributed electricity generation and renewable energy capacities against the background of maintaining sustainable electricity imports allow us to improve the estimate of the electricity deficit over the forecast horizon,” the NBU states in its April 2025 Inflation Report, comparing it with the January report.
According to the NBU, the deficit will almost disappear in 2027 (1%).
Thus, according to the report, the impact of energy supply restrictions on real GDP will decrease, and annual electricity imports in 2025-2027 will amount to about $0.5 billion.
As reported, at the end of 2024, the Ministry of Energy reported that the total capacity of distributed gas-fired generation units connected in Ukraine last year amounted to 967 MW, of which 835 MW were commissioned in 2024.
Naftogaz Group will use a EUR 270 million loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and a EUR 140 million grant from the Norwegian government through the NORAD fund to purchase 1 billion cubic meters of gas as a matter of urgency.
“The funds received are extremely important for Naftogaz. They will allow us to purchase almost 1 billion cubic meters of gas, which is critical for the stable passage of the next heating season, especially in the context of war and regular attacks on our energy infrastructure. I am grateful to all the partners who help Naftogaz prepare for the next winter,” commented Roman Chumak, CEO of Naftogaz Group, in a statement on the company’s website on Monday.
Chumak emphasized that the financing is already available and expressed his gratitude to the EBRD, the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway and the NORAD Foundation, as well as the Naftogaz team for the successful cooperation that helped to attract financing for gas purchases.
As noted, cooperation with international financial institutions is part of Naftogaz’s long-term strategy to diversify its supply sources and ensure Ukraine’s energy stability.
Earlier it was reported that on April 25, the EBRD confirmed the provision of a EUR 270 million loan to Naftogaz of Ukraine to create strategic gas reserves, Norway supplemented the loan provided under the state guarantee with a grant of EUR 139 million, which will come through the EBRD Special Crisis Response Fund.
“Naftogaz has previously received two EBRD loans totaling EUR 500 million, which were accompanied by guarantees from the United States, Norway, Germany, France, Canada and the Netherlands totaling EUR 275 million, as well as grant funding of EUR 187 million from Norway for emergency purchases of natural gas.
At the end of March, Dmytro Abramovich, a member of the Board and Commercial Director of Naftogaz Group, said that Ukraine needs to import 4.5-4.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas by November 1 this year.
