The State Agency for the Restoration and Development of Infrastructure, which is being created by the decision of the government on Friday on the basis of the State Agency for Infrastructure Projects and the State Road Agency of Ukraine (Ukravtodor), will be responsible for the implementation of projects for the restoration of Ukraine, said Deputy Prime Minister for the Restoration of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov.
“The most important thing is that we have a structure that is responsible for the efficiency, transparency and accountability of infrastructure restoration … The new agency will be able to implement ambitious plans into reality,” he wrote on Facebook on Friday evening.
Kubrakov, explaining the choice of the basis for the creation of a new agency, noted that the State Agency for Infrastructure Projects throughout its history has performed similar tasks for the state – large-scale projects involving both budget and external financing.
The Deputy Prime Minister added that Ukravtodor, which Kubrakov himself headed until May 2021, although he had previously focused mainly on road infrastructure, showed record results of successfully completed projects over the past three years.
Ukravtodor is the largest and most successful partner of international financial institutions. Reconstruction financing has already begun and, as expected, the main instrument is through the procedures of the World Bank, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD),” the Deputy Prime Minister said.
According to him, on the basis of Ukravtodor, two key reforms are already being implemented as part of a major joint project with the EBRD and the EIB – anti-corruption and procurement reform, after which Ukravtodor will become the first public institution in Ukraine to receive ISO international certification for the prevention of corruption, and procurement specialists will receive international CIPS certification.
In addition, Ukravtodor has powerful representative offices in the regions with decent salaries and a flexible motivation system in accordance with successfully implemented projects, and in 2021 it issued infrastructure eurobonds, Kubrakov also pointed out.
“In order for the new Agency to be able to successfully cope with the tasks set, we are initiating negotiations with our partners to update the Reform Support Team on the basis of the Agency and launch an anti–corruption office in the center and in the regions,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.
Ukraine has invited French utility services operator Suez to join the country’s infrastructure rehabilitation projects.
According to the Ministry of Economy, First Vice Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko during the meeting with the leadership of the French company discussed opportunities for Suez to participate in the restoration and construction of water supply and wastewater treatment plants, construction of waste treatment plants, as well as restoration of ecological state of lands, water resources and environmental protection.
According to the press service of the Ministry of Economy, the French company is interested in cooperation including within the framework of state-private partnership mechanism.
“Russian aggression has led to significant destruction of Ukraine’s civil infrastructure. There are big problems with water supply in the liberated territories, in the regions where active hostilities took place. This is especially true for the south and east of Ukraine. The amount of work is extremely large, but we will restore everything and hope for Suez’s participation in this work,” Sviridenko noted.
According to her, Ukraine is also interested in the experience and capabilities of the company in the field of waste management.
“Ukraine will develop a green economy on the key principles of the EU. And we strive to ensure that the most advanced technologies existing in the world will be implemented in our country”, – she added.
Microsoft will provide Ukrainian critical infrastructure and other state-critical sectors with $100 million in technology assistance by the end of 2023, company Vice President Brad Smith said during a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister – Head of the Ministry of Digital Affairs Mikhail Fedorov on Thursday.
“With technical assistance, government agencies, critical infrastructure and other sectors in Ukraine will continue to use digital infrastructure and work in the Microsoft cloud for free. The company will also help with the curation and implementation of Ukraine’s digital sectors, such as cyber, judiciary, customs, medicine and education,” the company said in a statement to the Ministry of Digital in its Telegram channel.
Fedorov noted that Microsoft was one of the first companies to suspend all new sales of products and services in Russia back in early March.
“During this time, Ukraine has received more than $400 million in support. In addition to free services, Microsoft supports Ukraine in the field of cyber, donates to humanitarian aid and cooperates with the Ukrainian government to document the war crimes of Russian invaders,” the deputy prime minister said.
As a result of an enemy strike on critical infrastructure facilities, part of Kyiv has been de-energized, and there is no water supply in some areas, Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said.
“As a result of attacks on critical infrastructure, part of the capital has been de-energized. There is no water supply in some areas. All services are working. More details later,” Klitschko wrote on his telegram channel on Monday.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal says that as of 11:00 am, 11 important infrastructure facilities in 8 regions and Kyiv have been damaged. The prime minister noted that the main goal of Russia is to sow panic, scare, leave Ukrainians without light and heat.
“All services are working on the ground, we are promptly restoring our infrastructure. We will do everything to restore all facilities as quickly as possible. Thanks to our rescuers and doctors who are now saving people’s lives in the epicenters of shelling. Thanks to our power engineers who are resuming the power supply of cities under shelling” he wrote.
Shmyhal also said that the air defense managed to shoot down more than 40 missiles out of 70.
The capacities of Ukrainian enterprises are sufficient to satisfy the need for roofing materials for the restoration of housing, social and critical infrastructure facilities affected by Russian aggression, Hanna Hontarenko, the acting director of the Ukrainian Steel Construction Center, told Interfax-Ukraine.
“Based on the results of work of the operational headquarters for the provision of construction materials in the Ministry of Regional Development, the needs of each region for roofing materials necessary for the restoration of housing, social and critical infrastructure have been determined. The internal potential of enterprises producing roofing materials in Ukraine allows us to meet these needs as soon as possible,” she said.
At the same time, the expert added that since the end of February 2022, the construction sector and the metallurgical industry have undergone significant changes.
“The destruction and occupation of the capacities of the largest metallurgical plants Azovstal and Illich Iron and Steel Works, a reduction in demand in the domestic market, an increase in the exchange rate and the cost of logistics – all these factors led to an increase in the cost of rolled metal. Since the beginning of the year, the price for certain assortment items has increased by more than 30%,” she said.
According to her, due to the aforementioned factors, steel structures manufacturers work with a low level of loading, however, due to stocks in warehouses and the work of metallurgical enterprises in Zaporizhia, Dnipro, Kryvy Rih, there is no shortage of rolled metal.
“But the situation will change when stocks are exhausted for certain assortment items that cannot be manufactured in Ukraine, and then demand will have to be met through imports,” the expert says.
As for the issue of steel roofing, the raw materials for it, namely rolled products, are produced by Zaporizhstal. Galvanizing and galvanizing/painting is carried out at the facilities of Unisteel LLC (the design capacity is 100,000 tonnes/year) or Modul-Ukraine LLC (the design capacity is 200,000 tonnes/year).
HOUSING, INFRASTRUCTURE, MANUFACTURERS, RAUTA, roofing materials
