Sverdlovsk Region consumers will have to pay 337 099 RUR per 1,000 gigacalories in 2006, which is 11.2% more than before, Director of Sverdlovsk Region Energy Committee Nikolay Podkopai announced at today’s press conference. According to Mr Podkopai, the general tariffs for all kinds of budgetary consumers came to 378 487 RUR per 1,000 gigacalories, which means an increase of 13.4%; the tariffs for housing companies came to 322 681 RUR (an increase of 12.2% compared to 2005), the tariffs for agricultural commodity producers reached the point of 408 215 RUR (an increase of 13.1%), the tariffs

‘The introducition of Fiat dealer center in Chelyabinsk has been postponed by a minimum of two months,’ Galina Semusheva, PR Manager of SeverstalAuto JSC, said to UrBC representative. It is reported via the corporate website that SeverstalAuto JSC is hoping to sell at least 2000 Fiat cars in Russia throughout this year. The most probable flagship products are Fiat Grande Punto, Fiat Albea and Fiat Doblo. A special new dealer network is going to be set up to ensure the successful selling of cars; the network will supposedly have comprised 20 retail and service outlets by the end of 2006, 15

Governor of Sverdlovsk Region Eduard Rossel met representatives of Iva CJSC and Ural Motorists Association today. The meeting had to do with the projected construction of an auto mall to be located on Yekateriburg-Koltsovo Airport highway. The mall is to host about 30 motor shows, car repairs, hotels, test-drive tracks and a customs terminal. The mall will come to something between $ 100 and $150 million, to be completed by Iva CJSC within three years’ time.

‘The total sales of LADA and Chery brands comprised 3,000 cars in 2005,’ Natalia Voronina, Marketing Director of Lada-BEST Ltd., said to UrBC representative. ‘Given that we only started to deal in Chinese cars in November 2005, and the fierce competition among both Russian and foreign cars, this is a good record. We are expecting to increase our sales by 20% in 2006 and therefore reach the annual figure of 3,600 cars,’ Ms Voronina said.

‘We’ve sent out letters to local producers offering to set up business partnerships, and we’re going to meet suppliers in February in order to set our shared goals and Auchan’s expectations,’ General Director of Auchan Trading Company’s Assistant Olga Chuvirova said to UrBC representative. ‘The company is thinking of introducing some more hypermarkets in Sverdlovsk Region,’ Ms Chuvirova noted.

Ufaleinickel JSC (nickel producer of Ufaley, Chelyabinsk Region) has started reconstruction of its # 3 converter. The repairs include full renovation of casing, replacement of firebox wall and dust hood. The company received innovative fire-bricks from Slovakia on January 26. The bricks have never been used before an are going to be implemented for lining the converter, the company’s spokesperson said to UrBC representative.

Nizhnetagilsky Metallurgichesky Kombinat (Metallurgical works of Nizhny Tagil) JSC,member of Evraz Group, has defined the main objects of reconstruction for 2006, reports PR-department of the company. So, the fifth coke furnace battery shut up in July 2005 will be set in operation by the company’s by-product coke productions division. The company also hopes to finish construction of the fifth blast-furnace complex for its blast-furnace production division. The steelmaking division will acquire a new circulation vacuum vessel to be used for outgassing of molten steel. The rolling production

Magnitostroy JSC, a bankrupt plant of Magnitogorsk, has to set up the debt-paying scheme to be presented at the Chelyabinsk Region Ministry of Industry and Natural Resources by February 3, 2006. This was decided at the special meeting of Magnitogorsk town council chaired by Chelyabinsk Region Minister of Industry and Natural Resources Evgeniy Teftelev that took place last Friday. The representatives of the town council, members of local divisions of Russian Federation Pension Fund, officers of Federal Medical Insurance Fund and public prosecution bodies and the company management (acting GD

The plant owes Chelyabisnk Region about 900 million RUR at the moment, the floating debt being 154 million RUR (of which 3.2 million should be given to Medical Insurance); the pension assignments for 2002 also have to be paid. The company went bust in September 2005. Demand for Chinese Chery gradually goes up, claims Aspect Motors Ltd. ‘The demand for Chery, a Chinese car, has been going up gradually,’ says Sales Manager of Aspect Motors Ltd. Dmitriy Anufriev. ‘The brand has been increasingly gaining popularity since it became available in November 2005. We are expecting further improvements