Sibur-Russian Tyres holding (set up as part of Sibur Holding JSC on January 1, 2006) summed up its achievements in 2005. Uralshina Ltd., Yekaterinburg-placed holding member, produced 2,031,000 tyres of all kinds, including car tyres. According to the company’s spokesperson, there were 1,065,000 car tyres, 286,000 truck tires, and 73,000 agricultural tyres produced altogether. The plant also started the Increasing Tyre Output within Plant Specialization investment project in 2005. 55,000,000 RUR of investments were used in 2005. The projected total amount of investments comes to 292,600,000

Chelyabenergosbyt JSC, electricity supplier, set up the Bankrupt Business Cooperation Project aimed at coordinating all the services dealing with electricity consumers as well as at preventing the long-terms arrears. The local bankrupt or nearly bankrupt companies owe Chelyabenergosbyt JSC 32 million RUR. Ninety more debtors were added to the list in 2005 alone, and the company’s losses occasioned by the bankruptcies were five times as big in 2005 as they were in 2004. The major debtor happens to be the hardware plant of Minyar that owes the company 16.7 million RUR. To make matters worse,

Yuzhno-Uralsky armaturno-izolyatorny zavod JSC (Yuzhno-Uralsk producer of reinforcement and insulators, YuAIZ) was visited by specialists of a representative company in mid-January. This company is going to present the production of YuAIZ on the Spanish market. Among the other guests were the representatives of Spanish certification center that is going to test customizability of YuAIZ insulators for Spanish power engineers. The visit was preceded by YuAIZ Technical Director Vladimir Golovin visiting Spain. Mr Golovin contacted various companies engaged in transmission facilities building in

According to the company’s spokesperson, BN-600 power-generating unit of Beloyarskaya nuclear power plant produced the rated output in January 2006. The electricity-generation schedule was complied with. There weren’t any limit or safety violations of any kind, and the rare gas activity breakthrough in January comprised 0.17% of the upper limit. The radiation level in the town of Zarechniy and the power plant site was not any bigger than usual and fluctuated between 5.5 and 5 microroentgen per hour, which is believed to be typical of Russia. The corresponding figures for Beloyarskoye

Ural Federal District Court of Arbitration declined the suit of Chelyabinsk Region Federal Antimonopoly Service and Aeroflot Airlines against Chelyabinskoye Aviapredpriyatiye JSC, Chelyabinsk airport owner, acting Director of Chelyabinsk Region Federal Antimonopoly Service Anna Koslova said to UrBC representative. ‘Our next step is presenting the suit at the Russian Federation Supreme Court of Arbitration,’ Ms Koslova said. The airport owner was sued after it had been decided at the meeting of Chelyabinsk Region Federal Antimonopoly Service Management Committee to classify the company’s

Chelyabisnkgorgas JSC, natural gas supplier, sold 131 tons of bottled condensed gas at cut and controlled prices in 2005. According to the company’s spokesperson, Governor of Chelyabinsk Region declared that people living in private houses without a gas network connection could buy bottled condensed gas at a reduced price. This price was 198 RUR per cylinder in the end of 2005, which was 52 RUR less expensive than the market price. Besides, over 1,500 residents who enjoy the right to buying privileges used this right to buy gas at half-price or even get it free of charge. This year

The extraordinary general meeting of Tagilvodka JSC shareholders was adjourned with the decision to use the company’s undisposed profits left over from the previous years (22,066,019 RUR) to raise their authorized capital. The capital is expected to reach the point of 51,072,000 RUR through the additional measure of increasing the face value of the company’s shares, which will give them 28,980,444.99 RUR of money to add up to the authorized capital. It is now possible to convert 1 uncertificated registered common share with a par value of 1 RUR to 1 uncertificated registered common share with

Central factory laboratory workers of Ufaleinickel JSC (nickel producer of Ufaley, Chelyabinsk Region) began experimental-industrial processing of nickel carbonate. Central factory laboratory engineers designed and tested in vitro a flowsheet of processing nickel carbonate yielding certain amounts of nickel salts, reports PR-department of the company to UrBC representative. Some positive results were achieved. After considering these results, a special meeting of the company’s management came up with the decision to perform a full-scale experimental-industrial checkout in the

Vladimir Dmitriev, former owner of Pyaterochka chain stores in Yekaterinburg which were bought by Pyaterochka Holding in the summer of 2005, disputes the technicalities of the transaction, says Pyaterochka press secretary. The claim is based on the ‘papers that were faultily processed at the local tax inspectorate.’ The plaintiff and his family members had laid the total of five claims but only one of them was complied with by the court. Pyaterochka is planning to appeal in April. It is specifically emphasized that the plaintiff’s demands are not aimed at the denunciation of the agreement,

Andrey Parhomchuk has been appointed Vice Sales and Purchase President of Mechel JSC, metallurgical enterprise of Chelyabinsk. His new responsibilities consist in developing the home and foreign markets for the goods produced at the mining and metallurgical enterprises belonging to Mechel JSC as well as to improve sales. Mr Parhomchuk had been Director of Metal Production Sales Department (part of Sales and Purchase Department) throughout June 2004 to January 2006. Mr Parhomchuk is also a former director of the company’s subsidiary in Beloretsk and Deputy Sales GD of Mechel firm and thus

The structuring of OGK-3 JSC in the capacity of a large operational company and a single legal entity will have been completed within two months, Member of RAO UES Board and OGK-3 Chairman Alexander Krikunov announced at the general shareholder meeting on January 31, 2006. Thus, the company will have become the full assignee in what concerns all kinds of rights and responsibilities as well as debtors and debtees of Yuzhouralskaya, Kostromskaya, Pechorskaya, Cherepetskaya, Kharanorskaya, and Gusinooserskaya State District Power Plants. The meeting was adjourned with the decision to register

According to the spokesperson for Sputnik travel agency, the number of tourists traveling to Austria on holidays seems to be decreasing. Tourism Director Marina Bondar says that there was a dramatic increase in people willing to fly to Austria during the winter holiday season, and these tourists did not come across any visa problems. ‘We had no difficulty getting Austrian visas,’ Ms Bondar said. It has already become known, however, that Austria introduced stricter visa requirements in mid-January, and Russian tour operators now have to produce the originals of their Austrian colleagues’

‘The mission term of the former consul is over,’ the spokesperson for Bulgarian Consulate in Yekaterinburg Svetlana Maslova said to UrBC representative. It was explained that the mission term lasted for three years. ‘The name of the new consul is Vasiliy K. Tsvetanov,’ Ms Maslova said.

The year 2005 was marked by the unprecedented amount of gross emissions by NTMK (Metallurgical Complex of Nizhniy Tagil) JSC, part of Evraz Group. It came to 99,700 tons per year, reports the company’s spokesperson. NTMK JSC went through an audit procedure and was given the international standard ISO 14001:2004 environmental certificate in 2005.

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.