Sverdlovsk Region Government approved of local wholesale trade development strategy planned up to the year 2010. According to the Governor’s PR department representatives, the trend-setting guidelines for the wholesale trade development had been based on the data obtained trough the branch performance analysis over the last five years. The wholesale trade turnover in Sverdlovsk Region has quadrupled (in price terms) over the years 2000-2005, reaching the point of 600 billion RUR in 2005. The turnover figures for Sverdlovsk Region comprise 60% of the total turnover in the Ural Federal

Federal Tariff Service set upper limits of local tariffs on communal services at 112% for Sverdlovsk Region, 113.1% for Yamalo-Nenetsk Region, 113.5% for Chelyabinsk Region, 114% for Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Region, and 120% for Tyumen and Kurgan Regions. Given the regional extra charges, the average price growth in Russia will come to anything between 110% and 122%. The maximum increase that heating tariffs may experience is that of 112% for Sverdlovsk Region (excluding the heat coming from power stations that combine generation of thermal energy with electricity generation). This maximum

On January 1, Reftinskaya and Sredneuralskaya water power plants left TGK-9, a local generating company whose subsidiaries had been up to that moment. They are now going to be managed by OGK-5, a wholesale generating company, TGK-9 spokesperson reports. Both power plants are to function within the framework of the Russian Power System Reform Plan adopted by OGK-5. This new merger of the plants with OGK-5 signifies the final step in designing the company’s structure. OGK-5 is going to take full responsibility in what regards providing Reftinskaya and Sredneuralskaya water power plants

Trubnaya Metallurgicheskaya Kompaniya JSC (Tube casting Metallurgical Company) summed up its production success for the year 2005. According to the company’s spokesperson, the total shipping output of its pipes and tubes came up to 2.855 Мton in 2005, which is 14% more than in 2004. The company also cast 1.95 Mton of steel last year, which is 5% more than in 2004. 246,000 tons of different pipes and tubes were shipped to consumers in December 2005 (17% more than one year before), with 167,000 tons of steel (3.8% growth) produced over the same period, this including 35,500 tons of ingot blanks

According to the decision of Sverdlovsk Region Government, over the half (51%) of the shares of the assessed capital belonging to Sverdlovskiy Kombinat Khleboproductov JSC, local bread maker, is now going to be managed by the regional Food Market Development Agency Public Unitary Enterprise. This agency also manages another seven bits of share holding belonging to other grain-producers and bread makers.

Sukholozhskiy Ogneuporniy Zavod JSC (Refractory goods plant) summed up its production success for the year 2005. According to the company’s spokesperson, the increase in fiber insulation materials output came up to 1.5% (compared to 2004), with the corresponding figures for unshaped refractions being 32%. There appears to be a decrease of 10.3% in the molded refractions output due to a greater demand for unshaped refractions and fiber insulation materials and the more advanced technological strategies used in their production. The company also experienced the output increase of 29% in current

According to the spokesperson of Sverdlovsknefteproduct JSC, the official dealer of Sibneft JSC (Siberian supplier) in Sverdlovsk Region, the company managed to keep the mineral oil prices at their filling stations stable throughout the year 2005. ‘We believe this is due to a moratorium declared by some oil companies,’ the spokesperson reports. Retail petrol prices have also remained almost the same since September 19 when a number of major Russian oil companies such as LUKOIL, TNK-BP, Rosneft, Tatneft and Surgutneftgaz decided not to let the prices at the filling stations go up, regardless

Rosnedra, the Federal District Subsoil Resources Agency, announced an auction on January 31, 2006. Bids are to be made by those willing to do a geological research and deal in gold mining on Khioninskiy patch located in the town of Kushva. The auction was postponed from December 22. 2005 due to the failure of the applicants to place a deposit with their applications. As the spokesperson for Uralnedra, Ural Federal District Subsoil Resources Agency, said to the agency’s representative, four applications were regarded as valid but the applicants didn’t place the required deposits. Consequently,