Companies@UA: База компаний Украины

Kyiv, August 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ten companies have applied to the State Property Fund of Ukraine (SPF) to take part in a tender to privatize Odesa Port-Side Plant, the acting head of the fund, Dmytro Parfenenko, said at an online conference in Kyiv on Tuesday.

"At present, ten potential buyers of Odesa Port-Side Plant have asked the fund to give them a chance to study the company to decide on their participation in the privatization of the plant," he said.

The names of the companies are not being disclosed.

"Unfortunately, the company is no longer a goose laying golden eggs," he said, adding that the plant became unprofitable this year due to a rise in the price of gas – its key technological raw material.

"The issue of attracting an efficient investor, who would be able to provide profitable operation of Odesa Port-Side Plant via supplies of natural gas at economically justifiable prices, is urgent now," he said.

Parfenenko said that despite the financial and economic turmoil, the fund would not considerably cut the initial price of the stake.

The official said that the fund is doing its best to attract potential buyers of the plant.

He said that on August 4, he communicated with the Georgian ambassador to Ukraine, who also promised that Georgian companies would take part in the privatization of Odesa Pot-Side Plant.

As reported, Russia's Sibur and Eurochem, Norways' Yara International and Ukraine's Privat Group (Dnipropetrovsk) have shown interest in taking part in the tender to sell a 99.576% stake in OJSC Odesa Port-Side Plant.