Business news from Ukraine

SPF PLANS TO INTRODUCE DUTCH AUCTION PRINCIPLES BY END OF SUMMER FOR SMALL PRIVATIZATION – SPF HEAD

27 July , 2015  

KYIV. July 27 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The State Property Fund of Ukraine (SPF) plans to start selling small privatization companies using the Dutch auction principle by the end of this summer, and in September 2015 the online site for these auctions will be launched, SPF Head Ihor Bilous said in Kyiv on Thursday.

“I think that by the end of the summer you will see the launch of an absolutely new thing – this is the sale of facilities using the Dutch auction,” he said while addressing representatives of appraisers.

Bilous said that by using Dutch auctions the fund plans to sell facilities it had failed to sell earlier.

The Dutch auction foresees a deposit fee of 10% and the preliminary selection of bidders to avoid the participation of non-transparent and doubtful buyers in the auctions, Bilous said.

“I hope that in September we will launch the online platform. Everything will be open, always to everyone. We want to allow individuals to take part in auctions,” he said, adding that foreign investors are showing great interest to Ukrainian facilities of small privatization.

He said that the fund plans to introduce the possibility of providing services on a fee basis, as Georgia and Azerbaijan did, which would increase wages.

“Finally, I will try to get any interest from the sale, privatization or leasing that will be left with the fund,” Bilous said.

He said that the top-priority facilities for privatization in 2015 are facilities with state stakes: Odesa Port-Side Plant and three or six pump storage power plants, in particular, Odesa pump storage power plant, and Mykolaiv and Kherson plants.

Among the top priorities are stake stakes in six regional electricity supply companies in Zaporizhia, Kharkiv, Cherkasy, Mykolaiv, Khmelnytsky and Ternopil, he said.

“If we are lucky this year, Centrenergo as well, there are some nuances and problems. If we were not lucky, we would prepare better to sell it next year,” he said.

Along with the above-mentioned facilities, it is likely that state stakes in Sumykhimprom, Zaporizhia Titanium and Magnesium Combine, President Hotel in Kyiv and other companies will be put up for sale in 2015.

“A total of around 40 facilities will be brought to the market, and if we cope with our sale program using the Dutch auction, there will be more companies, as we will launch this online,” he said.