‘Despite the increasing wholesale prices, the retail diesel oil prices have remained stable this month,’ the spokesperson for Most Ltd. (part of Most filling stations chain) said to UrBC representative. ‘We are not expecting the petrol prices to soar any time soon. The demand for diesel oil has remained the same and there doesn’t even seem to be any shortage that could be possible due to cold weather,’ the spokesperson noted. The data presented by Kortes information agency indicate that the Russian wholesale prices have gone up by an average of 2% since the beginning of the year, thus

During their business tour of Sverdlovsk Region, representatives of Imex Engineering of Slovenia took part in the production startup of Tajfun splitting and crosscutting line of YUT business enterprise (forestry of Kourovka). The line is a part of a would-be charcoal production unit. Imex Engineering is a representative of firms such as Tajfun, Ledinek, and Javor that supply equipment for logging, processing low-grade timber, woodworking and making wood-based panels and veneer. Governor of Sverdlovsk Region Eduard Rossel suggested doing some joint projects aimed at developing Ural timber

Uralkaliy JSC, potassium fertilizers maker of Perm Region, produced 5.417 million tons of fertilizers in 2005, which exceeds the figures for 2004 by 7.6%. The output of grainy potassium chloride reached a point of 1.242 million tons, which exceeds the figures for 2004 by 5.9%. The company is expecting to increase its potassium chloride output to 5.69 million tons in 2006 and to 10 million tons by 2016, which would make Uralkaliy JSC the world’s No. 1 producer.

VostokAlko Ltd., winery of Irbit, Sverdlovsk Region, produced 33,130 decalitres of vodka in 2005 and 94,100 decalitres in 2004. According to the data presented by Sverdlovsk Region Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, the output of vodka and liquors produced by the company in December comprised 5,010 decalitres which exceeds the figures for December 2004 by 92,7%, of which 5,360 decalitres had not been sold by January 1, 2006.

According to the spokesperson for Chelyabenergosbyt JSC, electricity distributor of Chelyabinsk, 25% more of housing bills were paid during the first working week of January as opposed to the beginning of December 2005. The Housing Code states that the payment deadline be the tenth of the following month, but because of the holiday season dwellers were allowed to pay up to January 20th. It is also in January that the new electricity tariffs are going to be introduced. Kilowatt-hour rates will go up from 0.66 RUR in 2005 to 0.74 RUR for tenants in the houses equipped with stationary electric

According to the company’s spokesperson Oleg Vlasov, no consumption limits have yet been introduced as the weather is still freezing; however, Uralsevergaz CJSC did ask the consumers to use less natural gas for industrial purposes whenever possible and switch to other types of fuel such as coal and black oil instead. Power plants, for instance, have been using those already. Explains Mr Vlasov: ‘Since it is really cold now in virtually all of Russia, we have had to ask our clients to use their gas supplies wisely. The top priority in gas provision is given to population and socially important

On January 20, 2006, the Board of Directors of Sinara Group CJSC decided to appoint Alexander Shiryaev General Director starting February 1, 2006. The former GD Yuriy Sokolov was appointed the company’s Chair of the Board. Alexander Shiryaev had been Deputy GD of TMK JSC throughout 2002-2005. He’s been Vice Chairman of Sinara Group CJSC since 2005. Sinara Group is a conglomerate of metallurgical, machine building and investment enterprises varying in scale and spheres of entrepreneurial activities.

Siberia Airlines summed up its entrepreneurial achievements in 2005. According to the company’s spokesperson, the carrier performed 32,672 flights in 2005, with the total number of passengers being 4,204 000 people. 63.6% of the passengers were carried on internal flights and 36.4% traveled internationally. The annual passenger turnover comprised 10,949 million passenger/kilometers, while the turnover of goods and mail reached a point of 25,788 tons. The company also took some foreign aircrafts on lease last year, namely, eight Boeing 737-500 models and four Airbus A310 ones.

According to the data presented by Sverdlovsk Region Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, the output of vodka and liquors produced by Tagilvodka JSC comprised 341400 decalitres in 2005, which makes up 89% of the previous year’s output (38,3600 decalitres). The winery produced 55,060 decalitres of vodka and liquors in December 2005, which signifies a 14.9% percent increase compared to the previous December (47,900 decalitres), of which 18,510 decalitres had not been sold by January 1, 2006.

The extremely cold weather in Tyumen Region, and Autonomous Regions of Yamalo-Nenetsk and Khanty-Mansiysk makes power plants work at the maximum load, reports the spokesperson for Tyumenenergo JSC. The frost has already caused a 200-megawatt increase in power consumption in Tyumen Region (compared to December 2005), which brought the figures to a record of 10,068 megawatt on January 11, 2006, given that there weren’t any limits set as to how much consumers could actually use. The current temperatures make it somewhat difficult to make sure the equipment is functioning properly and thus impose

Chelyabenergosbyt JSC has been shopping at the wholesale market since January 1. 2006. As the company’s spokesperson said to UrBC representative, the distributor had up to then been buying electricity in equal parts at the electricity wholesale market and from the generating company of Chelyabinsk and Yuzhnouralskaya water power plant. It has been decided, however, that the regional dealers should first deliver electricity onto the market, with distributors consequently acquiring the needed amount there. The data presented by ATS non-profit partnership indicate that 54 new players joined the

11 hotels fit for 647 people were introduced in Yekaterinburg in 2005 within the framework of Hotels of Yekaterinburg project and 10 more are to start operating in 2006, reports the Yekaterinburg Public Administration Commodities Market Committee. According to Deputy Mayor Viktor Konteev, the city is currently facing a real hotel boom. Yekaterinburg was the fourth city to be given the international Park Inn hotel chain in 2005. 7 hotels, including Bolshoy Ural, Iset, Zelenaya Rosha and Uktus Hotels were renovated and some of them (Grand Avenue Hotel, to name only one) are going to welcome

‘The primary intent of selling our 26% share holding in Uralagrotorg plc to Agrostar (Pyaterochka Holding) is to increase profits,’ claimed shareholder of Pyaterochka-Chelyabinsk Yelena Krasnikova while commenting for UrBC upon signing of the share purchase agreement. ‘Our efforts to enter into an alliance with the biggest Russian retailer are determined by hopes to increase not only profits but also our market share’ Ms Krasnikova says. While commenting on the Agrostar expectations to increase its share in Pyaterochka-Ural up to 100%, Ms Krasnikova indicated that this is not to affect the

Procurement sugar prices went up by 7% at the beginning of 2006, the spokesperson for Kupets Shopping Center said to UrBC representative. ‘The prime costs have been rising even though the store charge has remained the same; we’ve already run out of the supplies so the new ones will have to be bought at these new prices,’ the company’s spokesperson explained. It appears that the further rise is going to depend on the global raw prices.

Talitskiy Spirtoviy Zavod (Distillery of Talitsa) PLC produced 452600 decalitres of rectified alcohol, which makes up 90.6% of the previous year’s output (499700 decalitres). According to the data presented by Sverdlovsk Region Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, the distillery produced 81,400 decalitres of alcohol in December 2005, which signifies a 17.8% increase compared to December 2004, of which 6,280 decalitres had not been sold by January 1, 2006.

DCC Depository Clearing Company withdrew 19.66% of the shares it had of Kalina Concern JSC (thus going down from 13.19% to 32.85% of its piece of t he company’s pie). Three other nominee shareholders, namely, Deutsche Bank, ING Bank and Citibank increased their portion of corporate shares to the total of 73.38%, which is a 18.958% increase compared to the former 54.422%. According to the company’s spokesperson, Deutsche Bank now owns 8.992% of shares as opposed to the former 11.12%, ING possesses 51.78% compared to the former 36.85%, Citibank holds 10.48% compared to the former 8.58%.

‘We received 1563 employer applications asking to register their foreign workers in 2005, most of these applications concerning the continuation of existing agreements. Over 20,000 foreign workers were given jobs,’ reported Head of Yekaterinburg Employment Agency Job Allocation Department Margarita Vilesova. ‘The majority of foreign workers are involved in construction industry, namely, 8,641 people. Most of them come from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan and China,’ Ms Vilesova said.

Regional energy-managing company Sverdlovskaya Energeticheskaya Upravlyaushaya Kompaniya JSC announced an extraordinary general meeting in absentia. The agenda include approving of interim liquidation balance sheet and of the liquidation balance sheet proper. The deadline for submitting filled-in ballots is February 13, 2006.

The consulate of Vietnam is going to be introduced in Yekaterinburg, reports the Governor’s Information Department. The consulate will provide for Sverdlovsk Region, Republic of Altai, Republic of Bashkortostan, Republic of Tatarstan, Republic of Udmurtia, Krasnoyarsk and Perm Territories as well as for Kemerov, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Ohrenburg, Samara, Tomsk, Tyumen, Ulyanovsk and Chelyabinsk Regions.

Governor of Sverdlovsk Region Eduard Rossel met senior managers of Wimm-Bill-Dann OJSC (one of Russia’s largest dairy enterprises) yesterday. The company bought a dairy in Pervouralsk in 2005, so Chair of the Board Sergei Plastinin shared some of the reconstruction plans and projects concerning new technologies with the Governor. Wimm-Bill-Dann OJSC sees its future as more than simply processing milk to produce dairy products; they are also thinking of setting up their own dairy farm network with supporting fodder facilities. Governor Eduard Rossel suggested possible acquisition of a number