The European Investment Bank (EIB) invested over EUR 1 billion in Ukraine in 2020 alone. This represents an increase of more than 50% compared to 2019, the press service of the bank has reported.
“We delivered record investment of over EUR 1 billion in Ukraine in 2020, focusing our operations on support for conflict-affected regions of eastern Ukraine, sustainable and green infrastructure, digitalization, innovation and business recovery after COVID-19,” the press service said, citing EIB Vice-President Teresa Czerwińska, who is responsible for operations in Ukraine.
She said that Ukraine is the main recipient country of EIB investments in the Eastern Neighbourhood, accounting for more than 60% of the EIB’s lending activity in the region and supporting the European Union’s policies in its neighbourhood.
According to the report, total EIB investment in Ukraine has now reached EUR 7.5 billion.
The EIB financed small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to ensure they can survive the crisis and continue to provide jobs. It also invested in infrastructure rehabilitation and development, innovation and improvements in public transport and key public services such as education and the postal service.
In 2020, the EIB supported 75 SMEs and mid-caps and helped sustain close to 18,500 jobs in Ukraine.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in 2020 reduced investments in Ukraine to EUR 812 million in 34 projects compared to 2019, when the Bank invested 51 projects for EUR 1.1 billion.
“In terms of annual investment, Ukraine ranked third among the Bank’s countries of operation after Turkey and Egypt,” the EBRD said in a press release.
According to it, new investments included support for projects to improve corporate governance (as a pilot transformation program for Ukravtodor), as well as a project for transforming Ukrposhta, improving transport infrastructure in Ukrainian cities, introducing energy efficient technologies in heavy industry, etc.
Recycling Solutions from the portfolio of the UMG Investments of the SCM Group has announced the opening of the Ukrainian Mineral Fertilizers complex, the main product of which is nitrogen-sulfur and multiple-nutrient fertilizers based on ammonium sulfate, in the city of Kryvy Rih, where over $11 million was invested.
“We planned and built the complex from scratch. The total investment amounted to more than $11 million. The company created 72 jobs,” UMG Investments CEO Andriy Gorokhov said in a press release on Tuesday.
According to the press release, the production capacities of the new manufacturer, operating with compacting technology, make it possible to provide Ukrainian farmers with up to 100,000 tonnes of finished products every year. The complex has new equipment from the Japanese-German holding Hosokawa Alpine.
The CEO of UMG Investments reminded that this is the second project of the processing portfolio this year: in March it was announced that it had entered into an agreement with Ihor Liska’s Effective Investments company to acquire a minority stake in Feednova, a new enterprise for the production of high-protein feed additives for agricultural and domestic animals. Now the company has already begun the process of placing equipment of the first stage at the construction site, and the project is planned to be completed by the end of 2020.
“We are planning further investments in recycling and are now looking for partners and considering appropriate projects for plastic recycling,” Gorokhov said.
Recycling Solutions is a Ukrainian company managing by-products and waste for the coal, metallurgical, thermal power and agricultural industries of Ukraine. Its areas of operation is processing and sale of ash and slag materials, smelter slag, rare and industrial gases, ammonium sulfate, animal by-products; production of heat and electricity from coal mine methane.
CEO of Recycling Solutions Dmytro Anufriev said that for many years crystalline ammonium sulfate – a valuable by-product of the metallurgical industry that can be turned into fertilizers – was exported for processing to countries such as Turkey, Bulgaria or Serbia, and then imported after processing back to Ukraine.
“Recycling Solutions has set up a local production facility in Kryvy Rih for processing crystalline ammonium sulfate into a ready-to-use granular product,” Anufriev said.
In the first half of 2020, Recycling Solutions sold more than 825,000 tonnes and 455,000 cubic meters of waste and by-products of domestic enterprises. The company received UAH 343.1 million of gross income and invested UAH 12.2 million in the creation of new processing enterprises, according to the release.
The company said in the press release that since its foundation, Recycling Solutions has attracted more than $15 million of investment in business development and the introduction of recycling technologies. The company employs over 220 people.
UMG Investments starts and develops businesses with high growth potential.
The Ukrainian group of companies RDS, as part of repair work on the section of M-14 highway in Kherson region, acquired Kredmash DS-16837 asphalt concrete plant for UAH 25 million and invested about UAH 50 million in a production base located in Nova Kakhovka of Kherson region, co-founder of the company Yuriy Shumakher has told Interfax-Ukraine.
“The total amount of our investments in the purchase of the asphalt concrete plant and in the production base was about UAH 75 million. We are expanding our presence in Kherson region, for this we are investing in a base in Kherson region,” he said.
The expert clarified that the new asphalt concrete plant will start work in a week, which will allow the work to be carried out systematically and meet the stated terms of local construction projects.
The productivity of Kredmash DS-16837 plant is up to 160 tonnes of asphalt concrete per hour. It consists of a high-power asphalt mixing facility, a feeding unit, bunkers for a mineral powder unit, four bitumen tanks of 30 cubic meters each and a ready-mix unit (100 tonnes).
RDS Group is one of the top three road building companies in Ukraine, including Kyivshliakhbud and Rostdorstroy. Its core business is construction, reconstruction and maintenance of highways and bridges, construction of airfield complexes.
INVESTS, KHERSON REGION, KYIVSHLIAKHBUD, RDS, ROSTDORSTROY, SHUMAKHER
Nova Poshta group of companies has paid for sewing 2,000 special protective suits for doctors from Chernivtsi, the company said on Tuesday.
In the near future, a purchase order worth UAH 1 million will be completed and personal protective equipment delivered to the city’s hospitals.
According to the statement, assistance to Chernivtsi was provided under the decision adopted by the company on March 15 to allocate UAH 25 million for the purchase of medical equipment, supplies, medicines and personal protective means for medical institutions in Ukraine.
“In the near future, Nova Poshta will supply several more artificial lung ventilators to medical institutions. We continue to urge representatives of business, volunteers, and public organizations to join the honorable thing, to contribute and provide the country’s hospitals with everything necessary by joint efforts,” co-founder of the company Inna Popereshniuk said.
She also said that today the health and lives of millions of Ukrainians depend on the responsible social position of business as well.
HOSPITALS, INVESTS, NOVA POSHTA, PROTECTIVE SUITS, PURCHASING
Kovalska Industrial Construction Group has invested UAH 80 million in the modernization of the production complex of PrJSC TNC Granit (Korosten district of Zhytomyr region), expects to increase the volume of crushed stone production in the quarry by 20%. “TNC Granit annually produces up to 1.4 million cubic meters of crushed stone. Updating the equipment will increase production by 20% … Kovalska allocated UAH 80 million of investments for the modernization of the quarry. The work lasted nine months. During this time the complex was updated by 30-40%,” the company’s press service said.
In particular, according to its data, 17 units of new equipment were put into operation as a result of the upgrade.
“From now on, our capacities allow us not only to provide the Kovalska group of companies with high quality raw materials, but also sell crushed stone to external partners,” Serhiy Pylypenko, the director general of Kovalska, said.
Kovalska has been operating in the construction market of Ukraine since 1956. It is the leading manufacturer of construction materials, the developer and builder of the country. It combines two quarries and nine factories manufacturing construction materials.
In addition, the group includes Kovalska Real Estate, which is engaged in construction of residential objects in Kyiv.
