Kharkiv received the first low-floor, one-section trolleybus out of 49 comfortable trolleybuses purchased under loans from the European Investment Bank (EIB).
According to the press service of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine on Thursday, October 22, this became possible due to the participation of Kharkiv in the Ukraine Urban Public Transport project, which is a framework loan from the EIB.
As part of the project, the city received a EUR 10 million loan for the renewal of the trolleybus fleet.
“Kharkiv became one of the 11 member cities and has already received today the first low-floor trolleybus out of 49. By the end of the year we hope to conclude an agreement with the EIB on the implementation of the second part of the project Urban Public Transport II, which will provide for the purchase of only environmentally friendly transport. I am sincerely grateful to our partners from the EIB, who support us both in the implementation and in the continuation of this important project for the cities,” Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Vladyslav Krykliy said.
Trolleybuses for Kharkiv were manufactured by the subsidiary Car Assembly Plant No.1 of Automobile Company Bogdan Motors.
According to the delivery schedule, 49 trolleybuses will arrive in Kharkiv by the end of 2021. The whole delivery will include 12 two-section and 37 single-section trolleybuses.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is ready to provide funds to Ukraine to implement energy and energy saving projects if the risk factors can be controlled, Head of the EIB Resident Representation for Ukraine Jean-Erik de Zagon said.
He said that the EIB is ready to provide the funds if the Ukrainian government can convince the bank of the economic viability of the potential projects. .
He said at the 11th Energy Day organized by the European-Ukrainian Energy Agency on Thursday.
At the same time, the Head of the EIB Resident Representation in Ukraine said that the bank sees many opportunities for cooperation with the government of Ukraine, specifying that “the EIB in Ukraine has a portfolio totaling EUR 6.5 bln. It includes many project in energy sector, social and economic infrastructure, transport and connectivity, local private sector development, and innovation. ”
At the same time, according to de Zagon, with regard to international projects on energy efficiency, Europe highly values a clearly defined time frame for achieving climate change.
Speaking about projects that may be of interest to the bank in the future, he pointed out among the others the need to develop bioenergy. As for the diversification of projects, it is likely that biomass will deserve new attention. It is one of the decarbonization tools. It is challenging, but this is the need to process those resources that are raw materials for renewable energy in Ukraine, de Zagon said.
He also focused on that Ukraine has a good existing gas transmission system (GST). It offers a vast potential where development is most necessary by ensuring that the transmission system is supportive of renewable energy (like transport of hydrogen) the EIB representative said.
At the same time, he explained what donors pay attention to when making decisions on financing certain projects and what Ukraine needs to take into account and do in order to receive international funding. This is about the need to balance positions on the energy market and promote legislative initiatives so that legislation of Ukraine met European requirements and standards, he said.
As for the National Action Plan, the EIB is pleased to cooperate with the government of Ukraine in its implementation, de Zagon said.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) within the framework of the Ukraine Urban Public Transport project is providing Lviv with EUR 12 million loans for the purchase of ten new low-floor trams.
According to the press service of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine, the relevant agreement between the bank, the Ministry of Infrastructure and the city authorities was signed on September 2.
According to the ministry, another EUR 8.8 million will be additionally financed from the city budget.
Head of the European Investment Bank representative office in Ukraine Jean-Erik DE ZAGON said the EIB loan for new trams in Lviv will contribute to the development of environmentally friendly and sustainable transport. As representatives of the climate-oriented EU bank, they are convinced that a well-functioning tram network can make a significant contribution to reducing the number of cars on roads and thus reducing environmental pollution and mitigating climate change.
Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovy also supported this position.
“We have a clear position – electric transport should dominate. First of all, these are environmental issues, because 30% of all diseases in the world are caused by air quality. And secondly, it is financially profitable. In addition, low-floor trams and trolleybuses manufactured here, in Lviv, contribute to comfortable movement around the city for all its residents, including those with limited mobility,” he said.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) will provide Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova with EUR 55 million through ProCredit Bank in the respective countries to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) within mitigating the effects of the economic shock, the EIB’s website reports.
“As part of the overall response to COVID-19, the operation will support the financial intermediaries with temporary emergency measures to facilitate the provision of liquidity to SMEs and midcaps and thereby contribute to mitigating the impact of the economic shock,” the report says.
ProCredit Bank in Ukraine was founded in 2001. At the beginning of 2020, its sole shareholder was ProCredit Holding (100% of the shares).
According to the National Bank of Ukraine, as of May 1, 2020 ProCredit Bank ranked 14th among 75 banks operating in the country in terms of total assets (UAH 25.646 billion).
The European Investment Bank (EIB), as part of a joint initiative with the European Commission – InnovFin Science, has agreed the issue of a loan of EUR 50 million for the UNIT.City innovative park.
According to a joint press release, the loan is provided as part of the EU’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program and is managed by the EIB.
“Ukraine and more specifically the Kyiv urban area lack a proper ecosystem for R&D and IT companies at all stages of development, from start-ups to expanding high-tech companies. With its dedicated InnovFin Science support, the EIB is now helping Ukraine to bridge this gap. This will strengthen the competitiveness of the country and its capital city and enable it to take full advantage of its skilled workforce,” EIB Vice President Lilyana Pavlova stated.
“The EIB credit line provides up to 10 tranches of at least EUR5 million each. The funds are allocated for nine years with a very competitive annual interest rate for Ukraine. Money will be allocated for the construction of new campuses of the innovation park – B15, B16, B17, U1 – with a total area of 70,000 square meters. The total cost of the project (including components financed by the EIB) is estimated at EUR 110 million. Thus, about half of the estimated costs will be financed by the EIB,” the report on the bank’s website says.
“The project promoter and the EIB loan borrower is Unit Holdings LLC, a company established by UFuture Group. The project is expected to be completed by 2023 and it will generate up to 2,400 temporary jobs and increase permanent employment within the promoter’s business by 549 full time jobs. Indirectly, the project will support around 15,000 jobs in the tenant companies present at the UNIT.City innovation park,” according to the report.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) will provide a loan for the UNIT.City innovation campus development. The bank said on its website that its Board made the decision at the end of April 2020.
The details about the amount of the loan and the borrower are not disclosed.
Earlier the Ukrainian government said that this concerns a EUR 50 million loan to Unit Holdings LLC.
The EIB said that the project is part of an urban development and comprises the design, renovation and construction of carefully selected sub-projects that are part of the innovation campus. The project includes the extension of a private non-profit IT training facility, multifunctional flexible floor space offering a variety of office accommodation, fablabs, communal and interaction spaces as well as seminar and meeting room spaces for events plus other supporting facilities and infrastructures.
In November 2019, EIB Vice President Vazil Hudak said that a loan for development of UNIT.City could be provided.
UNIT.City Innovation Park officially opened in April 2017 on the territory of the former Kyiv Motorcycle Plant.
Unit Holdings LLC was established in November 2017. The main activity is the development of construction projects. According to the unified public register, participant in LLC is CJSC Dinpero Investments Limited (Cyprus). The ultimate beneficiary is the founder of UFuture holding Vasyl Khmelnytsky.
