Tube Works of Pervouralsk JSC has recently looked at the results of its activity in the first half of 2006. The company shipped 347,000 tons of tubes, with 71,200 tons shipped in June alone. The plant shipped 761,300 tons of tubes in cooperation with Tube Rolling Works of Chelyabinsk (both companies are part of one Group), reports the spokesperson.

The net profit of Mechel JSC has dropped by 17.9% (from $1.04bn to $853.52m) in the first quarter of 2006 against the first quarter of 2005. Their operating income reached the point of $59m, or 6.9% of the net profit (compared to operating income of $226.77m, or 21.8% of the net profit, in 2005). The company declared the consolidated net profit of $62.88m, or $.47 per ADR and $.16 per diluted share (compared to $169.51m, or $1.26 per ADR in the first quarter of 2005). Consolidated EBITDA came to $134.41m against $279.66m a year earlier, the company’s spokesperson said to UrBC representative.

Metallurgical Industrial Complex of Nizhniy Tagil JSC (part of Evraz Group) has recently held the meeting of the regional Union of Metallurgists. The executives from the region’s largest metallurgical enterprises as well as government officials and deputies of the regional legislative body examined the socially important areas of the complex such as Metallurg Forum, a sports and fitness arena, the entertainment club and a few kindergartens, including the one in the countryside, reports the spokesperson for the Complex. The company has been working on a few labor safety projects; thus, the

Ural League Commercial Bank CJSC is going to hold the extraordinary shareholder meeting on August 11, 2006. The corresponding decision was made at the meeting of the Board on July 19, 2006. The points on the agenda include amendments to the company’s Charter and to the Provision of the Board.

Ufaleynickel JSC announced that it was going to give Coke JSC a loan worth 600 million RUR. The term of loan comes to three years, starting on the day of transferring the money from the creditor’s account elsewhere. The deal comprises 36.56% of the company’s assets; it was approved at the annual general meeting of Ufaleynickel shareholders on June 1, 2006.

Metallurgical Industrial Complex of Nizhniy Tagil JSC (part of Evraz Group) has recently looked at its success in terms of environmental protection programs in the first half of 2006. It turned out that the Complex reduces the harmful emissions by another 1,300 tons compared to the first half of 2005. This rate of specific emissions is one of the lowest among Russian metallurgical enterprises; it floats at approximately 18 kilograms per ton of steel (as opposed to 35 kilograms per ton in 1990), reports the spokesperson for the Complex.

According to the Central Bank of Russia, the volume of short-term loans to sole traders given by Reserve, South Ural Bank of Social Development, for a term of 181 days to a year has gone down from 10,000,000 RUR on January 1, 2006 to 4,400,000 RUR on June 1, 2006. Thus the loan portfolio is now 56% smaller.

SverdlovskOblGas, the regional gas supplier, published its financial report for 2005. The company’s intangible profit came to 87,000 RUR, which exceeds the record for 2004 by 10,000 RUR. Their authorized capital reached the point of 96,000 RUR (the figure hasn’t changed since 2004). The capital surplus decreased slightly (from 437,503 RUR in 2004 to 437,413 in 2005); sales revenues came to 370,876 RUR, gross profit to 75,872 RUR, net profit to 12,715 RUR (compared to 9,719 RUR in 2004).

‘Zinc plant of Chelyabinsk produces over 300,000 tons of sulfuric acid a year, whereas our major buyers – mineral fertilizer producers – have closed up mainly because the agricultural farms cannot afford to buy enough fertilizers anymore. Thus we’ve been faced with a problem of being unable to sell the acid,’ General Director of Zinc Plant of Chelyabinsk Vsevolod Geihmann announced at the meeting of PROMASS, the Organization of Employers of Chelyabinsk Region. Mr Geihmann believes that it is essential to find ways of storing the acid safely. ‘The Ministry of Transport does not let us rent

The technicians of Teyskiy subsidiary of Evrazruda JSC (ore maker and part of Evraz Group) started the 20-day overhaul of the crushing-and-processing plant. The plan provides for restoration of the heating system, lining of the service bin, dismantling and replacement of all the worn-out parts of the jawbreaker, and fixing the feed apron that transfers ore from the service bin to the jawbreaker. The company’s experts will also repair and replace the obsolete parts of the two bolting machines meant for ore separation, and of the three gyratory breakers meat for the secondary crushing. Whereas

Sverdlovsk Gubernskiy Bank CJSC celebrated its 12th anniversary on July 18, 2006. The bank is put on the list of top-200 Russian banks, considering its net and quick assets, its owned capital, its balance sheet total, the loan portfolio and the deposit portfolio, and the bank’s profits. This is definitely one of the leading banks of Sverdlovsk Region as well. The experts of Interfax CEA information agency named it the most dynamically developing bank in Sverdlovsk Region in 2005 and rated it 167th in terms of total assets (as opposed to being 267th in 2004) among 300 largest Russian banks

Selkhozcomplect JSC held the annual general meeting that resulted in approving of the company’s annual report and of the accounting report, including the profit and loss statement. The shareholders decided to pass a dividend for 2005 due to lack of profit. The attendees elected the Board of Directors, namely, V. Khotenov, A. Shaposhnikov, V. Surovtsev, M. Yulik, and V. Yulik. They also elected the inspection committee and renewed the contract with the company’s General Director A. Shaposhnikov for another term.

According to the Central Bank of Russia, the volume of short-term loans to nongovernmental commercial organizations given by UralPromBank for a term of 181 days to a year has gone down by 36.1% throughout January to May 2006 (against the first half of 2005). The volume of loans came to 325 233,000 RUR on June 1, 2005, whereas it only reached the point of 289,345,000 RUR on January 1, 2006, and 207 770,000 RUR on June 1, 2006.

Vysokogorskiy Ore Mining and Processing Enterprise JSC (part of Evraz Group) has recently completed putting up the additional pulling unit in the fang of its Yuzhnaya mine. According to the company’s spokesperson, this is an emergency device that will provide for a prompt escape of miners onto the surface in case anything goes wrong. The fang is located quite far from the main one, with its cage capable of transferring ten to fifteen people at a time. The fang has been under construction since the beginning of the year 2006: the builders have already installed the alarm system and dealt with

Electromachine JSC is going to hold the annual general meeting on September 6, 2006. The points on the agenda include the possible early resignation of the company’s General Director, electing their sole executive body, and early resignation of the Board Members and electing the new Board. Current GD Oleg Bochkarev was appointed General Director of Electromachine Scientific and Production Association Defense Holding (the holding includes Electromachine JSC, Rotor Engineering Department, Turbine Engineering Department, and Aggregate Plant of Chelyabinsk.

Metallurgical Industrial Complex of Nizhniy Tagil JSC (part of Evraz Group) decided to pay the tuition fees of a number of school leavers coming from schools supported by the Complex and willing to get their degree in Moscow Steel and Alloys Institute. Seven students from the municipal polytechnic gymnasium and three students from comprehensive schools of Tagilstroevskiy District of Nizhniy Tagil have already matriculated. This tradition has existed since 2003 when the Complex signed a long-term agreement with the Institute agreeing to sponsor the students who would then be employed by the

The Federal Property Fund of Tomsk Region announced that it would conduct an auction aimed at selling the assets of Plastic and Composite Works CJSC of Tomsk. All of the company’s assets (located in Zlatoust) is to be sold in a single lot and comprises 620 items of equipment and machines. The opening bid is set at 150 million RUR; the auction will take place on August 22, 2006.

According to the Central Bank of Russia, the doubtful consumer debt to CreditUralBank has gone up by 38% throughout January to May 2006 and reached the point of 3,014,000 RUR by June 1, 2006. At the beginning of the year (January 1), the debt only came to 2,179,000 RUR. The bank’s loan portfolio was worth 1,357,300,000 RUR on June 1, 2006.

Magnesite Industrial Complex JSC (part of Magnesite Group) produced 5% more of refractory goods (191,300 tons) and 13.6% more commercial powders (390,200 tons) throughout January to June 2006 than a year earlier. ‘This year, the Complex has constantly been exceeding the monthly plan for shipments of goods and powders; We’ve already shipped 13.7% more consumer goods than in January to June 2005; the extraction of raw magnesite went up by 5,1% (up to 1.5 million tons), the amount of overburden by 9.5% (up to 4.3 million cubic meters),’ reported the Production Director Yuri Kochergin. ‘The

Beloyarskaya nuclear power plant has recently completed the first stage of putting up BN-800 feeding unit. The site of the would-be unit is fully prepared for laying the foundation of the main building, the ground has been removed down to the rock bed, the dampproof and concrete layers are already in place, reports the spokesperson for the plant. The foundation of the main building of the unit, with its estimated 30,000 cubic meters of concrete, will be concreted in blocks. The unit is expected to have been introduced by 2012, with the next BN-1800 main commercial feeding unit introduced in