Within the 1st quarter of 2006, ChTZ-Uraltrac Ltd. (Tractor plant of Chelyabinsk) produced 1,134,700,000 RUR worth of commodities (an increase of 8.8% against the same figure for 2005). Within the reported period, the company produced 381 engineer vehicles worth 663,281,000 RUR (an increase of 124% in money terms compared to the last year’s figures), 57 tractors, 17 pipelaying cranes, 293 ripper-dozer units (an increase of 108.9%). The sales output for the 3 months came to 1,332,255,000 RUR (an increase of 8% as against the same period of the past year). Among others, the company shipped 369

Pervouralskiy Novotrubniy Zavod JSC, tube works of Pervouralsk, is giving overhaul to its 160 mill: the procedure includes equipment renovation aimed at improving the consumer qualities of the goods produced. ‘This overhaul has been prescheduled as part of the investments program for 2006. It also provides for the reconstruction of the equipment for 57 to 89 mm tubes largely intended for machine building. Everything should have been finished by the end of April. The investments into this field are predicted to come to about 80m RUR,’ reports the spokesperson.

‘Today, Sverdlovsk Region needs 40,000 migrant workers,’ Director of Sverdlovsk Region Migration Center Mikhail Bochkarev announced at today’s press conference. ‘50% of them are now working in the field of wholesale and retail trade and about 30% are involved in building industry. Yet the region also needs skilled workers and specialists from the NIS, including doctors and drivers. Most of the migrant workers from the NIS speak good Russian, which is definitely an advantageous employment factor,’ Mr Bochkarev said. ‘We have to settle the migrant worker issue with the countries’ governments,

‘The company now has 22.5m RUR worth of arrears of wages for 2003-2004. Besides, following the order of the public prosecution bodies a great number of environmental legislation violations were reveled. This resulted in taking legal action against the company’s management on April 6, 2006,’ Deputy Public Prosecutor of Sverdlovsk Region Mikhail Savchin announced at the pres conference. ‘Former Directors, Mr Prokopyev and Mr Eremeev, have gone through administrative and criminal cases a number of times. The latter was found guilty according to Clause 201 (Part 2) of Russian Criminal Code, the

Power generating company № 10 is going to put into operation the second block of Chelyabinsk thermoelectric power station 3 in December 2006, which should raise the electricity output by 1.5bn kilowatt-hours a year, GD Andrey Shishkin said at the conference ‘Power engineering and Industry in Ural Federal District: Cooperation and Development’. The company is going to direct its investments into renovation of two state district power plants of Surgut, constructing four trunk pipelines in Tyumen and replacement of some heating networks in Chelyabinsk.

The general shareholder meeting held in JSC Trubodetal (tube parts maker and part of United Metallurgical Company CJSC) resulted in appointing Oleg Fomichev the new GD due to resignation of Lev Nedospasov, the company’s spokesperson said to UrBC representative. Mr Fomichev graduated from Moscow Institute of Physics and Engineering and has been the Logistics Director of Vyskunskiy metallurgical works since 2003.

As the company’s spokesperson said to UrBC representative, Chelyabenergo fully restored energy supply disrupted by bad weather in the region within a day. Last night, the snow sticking to the electric mains caused partial disruption of energy supply to a few towns of Chelyabinsk Region, namely, Zlatoustovskiy and Chebarkulskiy areas. There weren’t any power cuts in socially important buildings, though. The company’s staff are now working non-stop: emergency teams are doing extra examinations and checkups, with emphasis laid on particularly dangerous spots.

Uraltrubprom JSC (Ural Tube Works) assessed its success in the first three months of 2006. In March, it produced 19,141 tons of goods, and in the first three months of the year, the company’s shipments went up by 29.1% compared to a year earlier.

S7 Airlines will have expanded the number of destinations from Chelyabinsk by the summer of 2006 by 20%. On April 3, the fourth Chelyabinsk-Moscow flight using Boeing 737-500 was launched. More flights to citied of Russia, the NIS, and abroad will be introduced in the next few months. The new Airbus A 310 was supplied for Chelyabinsk-Moscow flights, the company’s spokesperson reports. According to the Director of Centralized regional subsidiary S7 GROUP Alexei Savchenkov, flights to Sochi, Anapa, Saint Petersburg, Antalia, Hudzhand, Dushanbe, Yerevan, and Rimini will be launched in summer.

Following the protest action of former employees of Krasnouralsk Chemical Works, legal action was taken against the company’s Managing Director. The investigation carried out by the public prosecution bodies revealed that the arrears of wages had been caused, among other things, by MD, Mr Prokopyev’s, illegitimate actions. Mr Prokopyev was detained after being presented with the charge. Following the demand of Public Prosecutor, Sverdlovsk Region Government is going to buy part of the company’s assets (the company having been declared bankrupt); the money from the transaction is to be used to

Tube Metallurgical Company summed up its achievements in the first three months of 2006. According to the company’s spokesperson, they shipped 701,000 tons of tubes and 168,000 tons of rolled metal and uninterruptedly-casted ingots in January to March. Also, the company produced 558,000 tons of steel within the given period.

Metallurgical works of Asha produced 1,503.799 RUR worth of goods in the first three months of 2006 (96.9% of last year’s figures). The works have produced 153,976 tons of steel (101.5% of last year’s figures), 111,112 tons of rolled metal (98.3% of last year’s figures), 13,745 tons of amorphous tape (116.8% of last year’s figures), 308,253 magnetic conductors (88.7%). 92,962,900 RUR worth of consumer goods was produced (93.4%), the company’s spokesperson said to UrBC representative.

Chelyabinsk electronic works JSC made 4.473m (91.83%) less in net profit in 2005 than in 2004. According to the issuer, this had been caused by the lowering of raw and energy carrier prices as well as the increase in transport tariffs in 2005. Thus the company’s net profit comprised 398,000 RUR.

Ural Turbine Works CJSC (part of Renova Group) is going to apply for a tender for the supply of three rendering natural-pressure turbines to India. The company presented its goods to two Indian metallurgical companies, TАТА Steel Ltd and BHILAI Steel, in March 2006. During the meeting on the premises of TАТА Steel Ltd where two blast furnaces are in need of reconstruction the possible cooperation was discussed, and then the guests visited the production area. Talks were held with BHILAI Steel as well. What is more, the specifications of the turbines were presented to BOKARO Steel (this was

‘Particulars of claim laid by Federal Antimonopoly Service Administration in Chelyabinsk Region and Aeroflot JSC against Chelyabinsk Airport JSC have been transferred to Supreme Court of Arbitration,’ says the representative of Aeroflot – Russian Airlines JSC in Chelyabinsk Yuriy Kirgizov. The claim concerns the morning slots the defendant refuses to give the plaintiff. This case has been on for over two years. In February 2006, the regional Court of Arbitration once again dismissed the plaintiffs’ claim.

Chelyabinsk Region Ministry of Industry and Natural Resources announced the results of the competition for the right to use the subsoil resources of Pugachev marble deposit (Miass area) for production of facing stone. Delest Ltd. won the competition and now can use the subsoil resources for 25 years.

In March 2006, Ashinsky Metallurgichesky Zavod JSC (Metallurgical Works of Asha) produced 567,418,000 RUR worth of goods. This fact was reported to UrBC representative by the company’s PR-department. Within the last month, the company produced 57,733 tons of steel, 41,321 tons of rolled metal, 5,365 tons of amorphous tape and 118,240 magnetic conductors. The company also produced 35,295,700 RUR worth of consumer goods.

In March 2006, BN-600 power-generating unit of Beloyarsky nuclear power plant functioned in the rated power mode. The electricity production plans for March, 2006 are fulfilled. Since March 24, BN-600 was shut down for refueling and scheduled equipment inspection. It is expected to remain non-operated until May 21, 2006. Beloyarsky nuclear power plant Information Center reported that within March 2006, no violations of safety operation conditions and margins did occur. Rare gas activity breakthrough in March comprised .24% of the upper limit. The radiation level in the town of Zarechniy and

The tractor shop of Vanadium ore mining an processing enterprise received two BelAZ dump-body trucks with the capacity of 55 tons each, reports the spokesperson for Evraz Group. The new trucks are provided with a centralized lubrication system and electronic scales that prevent it from being overloaded. This is especially important in terms of maintenance and long-term service. The trucks are assembled by the employees from the tractor shop. They will be put into operation in April in presence of the producer. The shop’s truck park now amounts to 13 operating large-capacity trucks.

Shadrinsk Food Enterprise Ltd. has been put up to auction because of its being non-core to the holding’s activity, says the representative of the proprietor Alesnader Ivanov. The company is a private enterprise, and the opening bid is $3.1m; the area of the firm site is 3.1 hectares, Mr Ivanov says.