Ukraine to Build Oil Refinery, Pipeline to Poland

The Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers has instructed the Fuel and Energy Ministry to draft and submit for consideration business plans for construction of a high-tech oil refinery and completion of construction of the Odessa-Brody oil pipeline to Plock (Poland) by December 2005.

This is said in the plan for additional measures to fulfil the Cabinet of Ministers "Towards People" programme in the second half of 2005, which was approved by cabinet resolution No 733 dated 10 August. The text of the resolution was posted on the government's web site today.

The document says that the building of an oil refinery and of the Brody-Plock section of the oil pipeline will make possible the effective use of the Odessa-Brody oil pipeline by using its capabilities to the maximum extent. This will also help diversify sources to provide Ukraine with oil and petroleum products.

In early August the European Commission awarded a contract to complete technical, economic and legal feasibility studies for continuing the construction of the Odessa-Brody oil pipeline to the Polish city of Plock to a consortium which consists of three European companies: SWECO PIC (Finland), ILF GmbH (Germany) and KANTOR (Greece).

(Source: BBC Monitoring Former Soviet Union)