Metallurgical Industrial Complex of Nizhniy Tagil (part of Evraz Group) has almost completed upgrading its fifth cokery that had to be put out of operation in July 2005. According to the company’s spokesperson, they have already managed to do refractory masonry and started reinforcement. The builders now have to assemble the anchor columns needed to preserve the solidity of the structure and complete the technological rigging. This is predicted to take about one to two months and the final upgrading of the cokery is to take place in the second half of 2006. The improvements will allow the

Vremya Ltd., the building contractor of Park-House Trade Center, had to give 10 million RUR for ecological damage to Yekaterinburg Administration. The damage was caused by the company’s felling the trees in Osnovinsky park while building the trade center. Prior to the payment, the investigation performed by the State Environmental Inspection Rosprirodnadzor Deputy Head Oleg Mitvol had claimed to find that the building of Park-House and the related reconstruction of Osnovinsky park entailed serious violation of law. ‘The company’s building operations caused no law violations. As to the

Ufaleynickel JSC has recently accomplished a replacement of titanic air-ejection gas flue of reactors in its hydrometallurgical shop. According to the company’s PR-department, the first section of the gas flue was replaced in September 2005. The second section was to be replaced in April 2006, but, since the flue worked into the end of its operation life, the company has come up with the decision to start preparing its replacement before the due date. On February 15, 2006, the first hydro-compartment was shut down to start the preparations. The necessary rolled titanium was acquired before

N.A. Semikhatov Scientific Production Association of Yekaterinburg was awarded the Federal Scientific Production Center status after the corresponding decree had been signed by Head of Russian Federation Government Mikhail Fradkov. The Association comprises 1000 researchers, including 31 Candidates of Sciences and 1 Doctor of Sciences. The new status gives the company some extra benefits and is exempt from the property tax.

Fireproof Works of Kyshtym started producing high-alumina fills in February 2006. As the spokesperson for Magnesite Group said to UrBC representative, the preparatory work started as early as 2005 with learning about the possibility of using various types of raw materials for the fills. After the best mixture had been designed, the production line had to be renovated, as there emerged the issues of acceptance, storing, and processing the new raw materials without any contact with the old kinds. At the moment the production is still experimental, and the results of this experiment are soon to

Oktyabrskiy Court of Yekaterinburg agreed on the preventive punishment for UralTransBank JSC Valeriy Zavodov, detained on March 1, 2006, a day later, reports the court representative. The Court decided that while his criminal lawsuit is being processed, Mr Zavodov had to give a written undertaking not to leave the city. The Chairman has been charged with subornation (Clause 204 (Part 3) of Russian Criminal Code). As previously reported by UrBC, the officers of Oktyabrskiy Internal Affairs Administration investigative force withdrew the documents of UralTransBank JSC on February 14, 2006. This

Tilo Klinner, German Consul General in Yekaterinburg, visited Metallurgical Industrial Complex of Nizhniy Tagil on March 2, 2006. According to the company’s spokesperson, the Complex has for a long time been cooperating with German firms, for example, in the field of production renovation. Thus, the new ultrasound control line was assembled with the help of German Fraunhofer Society for the advancement of applied research; the German subsidiary of Voest-Alpine Industrieanlagenbau took part in constructing section machines and # 6 blast furnace; the large machine-building enterprises Krupp

Yekaterinburg Municipal Bank announced that the Board meeting had taken place on February 28, 2006. The meeting resulted in setting the agenda for the annual general meeting. The agenda includes issues having to do with the increase of the company’s authorized capital, the election of the Board members and the President. ‘The meeting will take place on May 26. There’s no knowing how the Board might change before this,’ says President’s Assistant Igor Vasilyev.