KIEV, Jan. 25 – A draft energy strategy for the period until 2030 being drawn up by the Energy and Coal Industry Ministry of foresees the construction of 11-17 gigawatt coal-consuming power plants.

KIEV, Jan. 24 - The launch of Ukraine's new-generation Earth observation satellite Sich-2 to a solar synchronous orbit with a Dnepr Ukrainian-Russian rocket is planned for the first quarter of this year, Dnipropetrovsk-based Yuzhnoye Design Bureau General Director Oleksandr Degtyarev told reporters.

KIEV, Jan. 24 - Fitch Ratings has assigned Metinvest B.V.'s (Metinvest) proposed issue of USD notes with a maturity of seven to 10 years an expected senior unsecured rating of 'B', according to an agency report.

BERLIN, Jan. 24 – Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan could return to the idea of creating a grain pool for making cheap grain supplies to buyers.

The idea was first mooted at the World Grain Forum in St. Petersburg in June 2009. However, practical steps to set up the pool have yet to be taken.

KIEV, Jan. 24 - The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in 2010 reduced its investment in Ukraine by 13.3% compared to 2009, to $1.3 billion (in 2009 the figure was $1.5 billion), according to a bank press release.

KIEV, Jan. 24 – Ukraine will carry out an additional issue of government foreign loan bonds of the year 2010 which are falling due on December 21, 2011.

The additional issue will amount to $100 million, according to the Cabinet's No. 34 resolution dated January 19, 2011.

KIEV, Jan. 25 – Budget expenses in January 2010 are expected at UAH 16 billion, while revenues could be only UAH 10-11 billion, according to a posting on the official website of the president.

"The revenues of the general fund this month could reach UAH 10-11 billion, so expenses will be restricted by real revenues, which will require a cut in expenses even on protected articles," reads the report, referring to the calculations of experts from the presidential secretariat.

IVANO-FRANKIVSK, Jan. 25 - The first 300 tons of melange, a highly toxic liquid rocket fuel component, has been sent to Russia for disposal from the military warehouses of the Western Operative Command of the Ukrainian Ground Forces located near the village of Tsenzhev.

KIEV, Jan. 22 – The Construction Materials Plant group of companies has postponed the building of a second stage of a reinforced products facility at Construction Materials Plant One in Nova Kakhovka (Kherson region), which has a production capacity of 300,000 tons of cubic meters of products per year, until the second half of 2010, while earlier the group planned to start the building of the plant in December 2009.

KIEV, Jan. 25 – Kharkiv-based Turboatom, one of Ukraine's largest producers of energy equipment, in 2010 plans to invest up to UAH 31 million in technical upgrades, which is 70% more than in 2009 (UAH 18.2 million).