Gypsum industry news

Ukraine: Knauf Gips Ukraine has bought guarantees of origin for its electricity through Ukraine’s National Electronic Register. The guarantees confirm the sources of the company’s energy in Ukraine. Newsbase Daily News has reported that this will form the basis for future development of the country’s renewable energy market. Ukrainian authorities have previously attempted two green energy auctions, both of which failed due to investor concerns over the guaranteed buyers’ financial obligations and regulatory instability.

Power provider Elementum Energy Manager Olga Rybachuk said “The first investors in new projects will be those already in the market and familiar with the risks. Newcomers rely on their assessments. Green auctions are an important tool, but credit risk remains a critical factor.”

Ukraine: Knauf Gips Kyiv, part of Germany's Knauf, has suspended wallboard production because of difficulties with rail traffic, according to Knauf's local marketing and sales director Oleksandr Starchenko. He told Interfax-Ukraine that the Kyiv plant has been forced to suspend operations due to a lack of rolling stock on the railway for the supply of finished products from the Knauf Gips Donbas factory, which is located in Soledar, Donetsk region.

"The situation now is not just bad, it is catastrophically bad," explained Starchenko. "Bad is when at least something works. Catastrophic is when nothing works. This is not only my opinion, this is the view of the market. The result of the situation is the fact that the Kyiv factory halts activities because we cannot bring in materials."

"We have two enterprises here. One of them is in the east, close to the combat zone. However, it works and is one of the largest ones in Europe," he said, noting that the company has limited ability to supply goods produced at Knauf Gips Donbas to customers by rail.