Companies@UA: База компаний Украины

Kyiv, August 3 (Interfax) - Stirol, a major Ukrainian chemicals company, has suspended the production of carbamide, ammonium nitrate and ammonia, Oleksandr Shatokhin, director of the company's Azotexport department, told Interfax.

Shatokhin did not say why production had been suspended. He said production would be resumed then "the issue of gas prices is resolved."

Stirol produces natural gas for its own needs and for subsidiaries of Naftogaz Ukrainy, he said.

The company is still shipping carbamide and ammonium nitrate produced earlier and is meeting all of its contractual obligations, he said.

The Ukrainian government on July 29 approved a list of six nitrogen fertilizer producers that are allowed to buy imported gas from non-residents in 2009.

The major consumers of natural gas in Ukraine's chemical industry are CJSC Severodonetsk-based Azot Amalgamation in the Luhansk region, Odesa portside chemical plant, OJSC Stirol Concern, OJSC Dniproazot in Dnipropetrovsk region, OJSC Rivneazot, and OJSC Azot in Cherkasy.

Ukraine's chemical industry consumes about 8.3 billion cubic meters of gas per year, while the aforementioned companies together consume 7.74 billion cubic meters of gas.