Ukraine is at another policy crossroads as it debates what government support is both effective and sustainable for encouraging the development of renewable energy. The focus is what could and should replace the current incentive feed-in tariffs for new power projects.

There can be no debate that renewables do need the support of host governments and international agencies. The recent announcement by the French government of plans to increase annual state support from the current 5 billion euros to 7-8 billion underlines this.

And the European Union, which has strict rules on state subsidy distorting competition, makes provision for support of the renewables sector.

Continue reading here – https://www.kyivpost.com/article/opinion/op-ed/michael-yurkovich-options-for-ukraine-as-it-moves-away-from-a-green-tariff.html

Opinion: Ukrainians want a democratic, reliable, and economically strong country. With Canada’s help, we will continue efforts to deliver it for our mutual benefit.

Ukraine is a trusted friend and partner for Canada. Our relationship spans more than a century of shared family, cultural and political connections. The next step in our ongoing journey together is in expanding our business relationships.

While Ukraine gained its formal independence in 1991, our country is just three years into the rebirth that resulted from the Revolution of Dignity in 2014. Since the Euromaidan, we have set out to build a new European state. We signed a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area agreement with the European Union in 2016, and the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement (CUFTA) last year — deals that effectively create an uninterrupted duty-free trade zone comprising almost 600 million consumers.

Continue reading here – https://financialpost.com/opinion/ukraine-and-canadas-extraordinary-business-relationship-is-just-getting-started

Kyiv, Ukraine – TIU Canada has begun construction of a new solar plant near Kalynivka village, in the Mykolaiv region. The new project is called Vita Solar, with a planned peak capacity of 13,5MW, covering an area of 20.2 hectares. The solar panels are produced by Longi Solar, and the inverters are produced by SMA.

Mykolaiv region has one of the best locations for solar radiation in Ukraine. The measurements from Kalynivka show that the levels of solar radiation are at 1551 kW/m2. This plant will help to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 18,212 tons per year.

Valentyna Beliakova, Country Director of TIU Canada in Ukraine said: “We have carefully selected the new site for this station, technically and logistically it is one of the best locations that are available to us”.  

Michael Yurkovich, President of Refraction Asset Management, the holding company for TIU Canada said: “Following the completion of our first project in Nikopol, this is a logical next step. This station will uphold our high standards that we set for everything that we work with – starting from the materials and ending with our EPC contractor, Helios Strategia.”The plant will be commissioned later this year and will begin the generation no later than January 2019.

TIU Canada started its operations in Ukraine in June 2017, when the construction of the Nikopol solar plant begun.  TIU Canada is owned by Refraction Asset Management, out of Calgary, Alberta. 

LLOYDMINSTER, AB (September 11, 2018): The cities of Lloydminster in the province of Alberta, Canada, and Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast of Ukraine yesterday announced a historic sister-city agreement. Mayor Gerald Aalbers signed on behalf of Lloydminster and Mayor Andriy Fisak will be signing on behalf of Nikopol.

This agreement is the first major announcement of non-military cooperation between Canada and Ukraine in 35 years. It recognizes the long history and close relationship between Western Canada and Ukraine and will serve as the starting point for a renewal of goodwill as both cities invest in each other, through increased trade, commerce, education, athletics, and cultural exchanges.

Mayor of Lloydminster Gerald Aalbers: “I am pleased to announce that the City of Lloydminster will be partnering with Nikopol as sister cities. Council approved a motion at the July 16, 2018 council meeting for the sister city agreement. I look forward with great anticipation to building this relationship. I am eager to welcome a delegation from Nikopol in the coming months. Ukrainian heritage runs strong in Alberta, and especially in Lloydminster, and I’m honored to witness this historic sister city agreement.”

“Canada and Ukraine enjoy close bilateral relations and the historic ties of friendship between our two countries were forged through generations of Ukrainian migration to Canada”, said Mayor Fisak. “Today, these historic bonds are reinforced by shared values and interests to produce a mature, balanced, and mutually beneficial partnership for the 21st Century.” Mayor Fisak said: “I trust a Sister City Agreement between Lloydminster, Canada, and Nikopol, Ukraine, will create an environment conducive to the development of both of our communities and will offer the possibility to strengthen our social and cultural relations – as well as improve the welfare of the residents of our two cities.”

Today’s announcement has been widely celebrated by Ukrainian-Canadians. Olesia Luciw-Andryjowycz, President of Ukrainian Canadian Congress – Alberta Provincial Council said, “We are thrilled with the new twinning of the Ukrainian city of Nikopol with our own Alberta city of Lloydminster. Being the first Alberta city twinned with a city in Ukraine, this will be a great opportunity to develop trade and commerce between these two municipalities. UCC-APC looks forward to working cooperatively in a variety of sectors including education, arts, and culture, economic cooperation and governance.”

A key motivation for this agreement is the historic undertaking in Nikopol by Calgary-based investment firm Refraction Asset Management through its subsidiary, TIU Canada, a renewable energy company. On January 26, 2018, TIU Canada opened a 10.5-megawatt solar power plant in Nikopol with a total investment of €10.5 million (approx. CAD$16.1 million). This investment is the first investment from Canada under the 2017 Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement.

Refraction Asset Management’s President, Michael Yurkovich said, “We at Refraction Asset Management are pleased to play a role in bringing together Lloydminster and Nikopol. This is the first sister city agreement in Alberta with a Ukraine city, and it’s an indicator of both the strong ties between Canada and Ukraine, as well as the success of the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement.”

The text of the agreement is attached separately to this release.

For more information, please contact:

(inquiries in Ukrainian should be sent via email only)

Shayne Saskiw

Principal, Alberta Counsel

780-652-1311

[email protected]

Among the former republics of the Soviet Union, there are many oil rich countries, but unfortunately, Ukraine is not one of them. Ukraine has historically been an energy dependent nation and that dependence has primarily been based on Russian supplies. However, the Russian annexation of Crimea and war in the Donbass changed all of that.

Following the Russian military aggression against Ukraine in the spring of 2014, the new government began searching for ways to stop its energy addiction to Russian natural gas. In what has become one of the government’s greatest achievements, Ukraine stopped buying Russian gas and instead began to utilize “reverse gas supplies” from friendly, neighboring countries (Poland, Hungary and Slovakia).

Continue reading here – https://www.kyivpost.com/article/opinion/op-ed/michael-getto-renewables-reinforce-ukraines-energy-independence.html