Efarm Pro and Zavod Kobzarenko Ltd. have presented the demining machine “Narodnyi Deminrovshchik”, which has already passed the first successful tests at a military training ground and is now at the certification stage, First Deputy Prime Minister of Economy Yulia Sviridenko said.
“Efarm Pro and Kobzarenko Plant LLC, which are participants of our innovation bootcamp, presented the “People’s deminer”. It has already passed the first successful tests at a military training ground. The machine is currently undergoing certification,” she wrote on Facebook.
According to her information, the system implies automatic work on large areas with an accuracy of up to 2 centimeters along a given route. The prototype was developed on the basis of the Ukrainian tractor T-156, but it was fully modernized. The machine can be controlled remotely.
“This is another step towards the safety of both our people and our lands,” Sviridenko summarized.
Kobzarenko Plant was founded in 1993 as a Ukrainian-German enterprise “Fligel” (renamed to “Kobzarenko Plant” in 2008). The company started its activity with the production of wheelbarrows and carts for homesteading. Currently it is the leading Ukrainian manufacturer of tractor trailers, hoppers, tanks, fertilizer spreaders, etc. As of 2018, the plant employed 700 workers.
It has two production workshops and warehouse complexes in Sumy region, as well as a plant in Poland Kobzarenko Sp. z.o.o., which manufactures machinery and works as a service center for start-up, maintenance, debugging of machinery in Europe and Poland.
Efarm pro brand belongs to Gardarika Tres LLC (Gardarika Tres LLC) – manufacturer and distributor of agro-equipment. It specializes in the production and sale of precision farming systems. Registered in 2014 in Kiev, it has a production site in Sumy region.
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a draft law amending the Tax Code of Ukraine, which provides for a gradual increase in excise duty on motor fuels by 2028, including gasoline by 68%.
The government’s representative in parliament, Taras Melnychuk, announced the approval of the draft law at a government meeting on Friday on Telegram.
According to his message, the draft law, in particular, proposes to set new rates of excise tax on fuel, taking into account their minimum level provided for by Directive 2003/96/EC, which comes into force on January 1, 2028. As noted in the report, a schedule of annual increases in such rates is established from July 1, 2024 to January 31, 2027 inclusive.
At the same time, MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak (Voice faction) published a schedule of rate increases to the draft law on his Telegram channel, according to which in the first half of this year the excise tax on motor gasoline will be EUR 213.5 per thousand liters, and in the second half of this year – EUR213.5/thousand liters, and in the second half of the year it should increase to EUR242.6/thousand liters and after further gradual increase in 2025-2027 in 2028 it should be EUR359/thousand liters. Thus, based on these figures, the excise tax on gasoline will increase by 68% from 2024 to 2028. The excise tax on diesel fuel, which is EUR139.5/thousand liters, should increase to EUR177.6/thousand liters in the second half of the year and to EUR330/thousand liters in 2028 (plus 136.5%).
As for liquefied gas, the figures are EUR52/thousand liters, EUR55.6/thousand liters, EUR70/thousand liters (plus 34.6%), and for alternative fuels – EUR162/thousand liters, EUR184.08/thousand liters, EUR272.4/thousand liters (plus 68%).
As reported, in mid-March 2022, the Rada adopted a law on additional tax incentives to support businesses during the war, aimed, in particular, at keeping fuel prices down. According to the law, fuel was temporarily subject to zero excise duty and 7% VAT instead of 20% for the period of martial law.
On September 21, 2022, the Rada adopted draft law No. 7668-d on the return of excise taxes on motor fuels, setting them at EUR 100 for gasoline and diesel (hereinafter referred to as per 1 thousand liters), EUR 52 for liquefied gas, butane and isobutane, and EUR 100 for alternative motor fuels and biodiesel. VAT for all fuels remained at 7%.
However, according to this document, from July 1, 2023, the level of fuel taxes returned to the pre-war level: VAT – up to 20%, excise tax on gasoline – up to EUR213, diesel fuel – up to EUR140 per 1 thousand liters.
There are 4.9 million registered internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ukraine, the Ministry of Social Policy reports.
“The war started by the Russian Federation has forced many Ukrainians to leave their homes to escape enemy shelling or occupation… In total, there are 4.9 million IDPs in Ukraine today, including those who moved after 2014,” the ministry’s press service said in a statement.
It is noted that the number of those who have become internally displaced or have moved again since 2022 has reached 3.5 million.
Additive manufacturing reduces production and time costs while meeting the highest safety standards in the industry
CRANBURY TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania, March 2024 – Westinghouse Electric recently achieved a new milestone by producing its 1,000th fuel plate using additive manufacturing (3D printing). This is an important achievement for the industry: the first time additive manufacturing has been used to produce safety-related components that have entered mass production.
A fuel assembly component manufactured using additive manufacturing
The current additive manufacturing plates are installed in VVER-440 fuel assemblies, allowing for redesign of the lower part of the assemblies. This ensures their more reliable operation.
“This achievement demonstrates the development of additive manufacturing from prototyping to full-scale production. In addition, it creates concrete value for our customers,” said Lou Martinez Sancho, chief technology officer and executive vice president of research and innovation at Westinghouse. He also added: “This is yet another leading-edge achievement for Westinghouse in additive manufacturing technology, supporting our strategic plans to improve safety, efficiency, sustainability and energy security.”
The move continues Westinghouse’s leadership in using additive manufacturing in the nuclear industry to achieve cost and time reductions and to deliver advanced energy production solutions. In 2015, the company conducted the first-ever radiation exposure study of nuclear reactor components manufactured using additive manufacturing. In 2020, Westinghouse installed the first safety-related component made using additive manufacturing, a plugging device, in an active commercial reactor.
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The Westinghouse Electric Company is shaping the future of carbon-free energy by providing safe, innovative nuclear technologies to utilities around the world. Westinghouse installed the world’s first commercial water-water reactor in 1957, and the company’s technology powers nearly half of the world’s active nuclear power plants. More than 135 years of innovation make Westinghouse the partner of choice for advanced technologies spanning the entire nuclear energy lifecycle. For more information, visit www.westinghousenuclear.com and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Quotes of interbank currency market of Ukraine (UAH for €1, IN 01.01.2024-31.01.2024)
minfin.com.ua
The technical launch of the International Register of Losses, a system for recording claims of individuals, legal entities and the state of Ukraine for compensation for losses, damages and damage caused by the Russian aggression against Ukraine, will be announced on April 2 in The Hague at the International Conference “Restoring Justice for Ukraine”.
“In a week’s time, at the International Conference “Restoring Justice for Ukraine” to be held in the Dutch city of The Hague, in the presence of EU foreign ministers and justice ministers, it is planned to announce the start of the technical launch of the International Register of Damages, a system for recording applications from individuals, legal entities and the state of Ukraine for compensation for losses, damages, and losses from the Russian aggression against Ukraine,” the Ministry of Justice said on its website on Monday.
The register will start accepting applications for compensation for war victims. It is about opening one category of applicants. In total, the Register will include 40 categories.
The categories of applications will include: loss of life, torture and sexual violence, as well as bodily injury, forced displacement and forced resettlement of persons, loss of property and income, other forms of economic damage, damage to critical infrastructure and other state facilities, damage to historical and cultural heritage, damage to the environment, etc. All categories are defined by the Registry Board.
Each category has its own rules for submission, a separate claim form approved by the Registry’s Charter. A digital platform has been created to receive applications. It is expected that all applications will be in digital format only.
All governing bodies of the Registry have already been established. The Registry Board has adopted a set of rules and regulations of the Registry necessary for the launch. It includes the rules for submitting, processing and entering claims, as well as the categories of claims acceptable for entry into the Register of Losses.
“The technical launch is a long-awaited event, the first step towards ensuring justice and compensation for Ukrainians and the country. This was preceded by a titanic work of a large number of specialists and experts. We have enlisted the support of the UN General Assembly, 43 countries have given us the green light, we have almost passed this stage and are moving on. We are waiting for the International Commission to start its work, which will award compensation, and it will take at least a year to set up. In parallel, negotiations with partners are ongoing to open a Compensation Fund, which will be filled with seized assets of the Russian Federation,” said Iryna Mudra, Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine, head of the International Compensation Mechanism development.
The International Register of Losses is the first component of the Global Compensation Mechanism, the development of which was initiated by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine in May 2022 together with international partners. The Compensation Mechanism consists of the Register of Losses, the Compensation Commission and the Fund.
The documents of the Register and more detailed information are available on the website of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine at https://minjust.gov.ua/ndd/international_register_of_losses.
The international conference “Restoring Justice for Ukraine” will be held on April 2 at the World Forum in The Hague.
