The city council did not support the package of land-use decisions for the «Ekotrans» oil plant

Members of the Mykolaiv City Council did not support a package of four land-related issues for the «Ekotrans» oil plant. The company had sought to resolve land issues on Proektna Street — to formalise plot boundaries, secure land on lease for part of the infrastructure, and establish an easement on part of another plot.

This became known at a session of the Mykolaiv City Council on Thursday, 9 April, according to NikVesti.

Taras Pavliuk, director of «Ekotrans», explained that this is not the first time the company has approached the city council with these issues. According to him, the first applications were submitted back in 2018, but they never reached the voting stage.

He emphasised that the company employs around 300 people, and between 2020 and 2025, the company paid 275 million hryvnias in taxes. Of this, 3.1 million hryvnias was land rent, and a further 2.8 million was spent on environmental tax. He also stated that Ecotrans had spent over 11 million hryvnias on measures aimed at improving the environment.

Separately, Taras Pavliuk noted that in May 2023, the company received an environmental impact assessment (EIA) report from the Ministry of Environmental Protection, which confirmed the admissibility of its activities and established technical requirements.

According to him, the company monitors the boundaries of the sanitary protection zone quarterly for noise levels and air quality, and no exceedances of permissible limits have been recorded.

«All these measurements, which are carried out quarterly, show perfectly acceptable figures, with no exceedances. Why am I focusing specifically on environmental issues? Because, from what I’ve heard in Mykolaiv, there is a certain negative atmosphere and buzz (surrounding the ‘Ekotrans’ plant), and I cannot explain the exact reason for it — perhaps you know better. It concerns alleged breaches of environmental standards by ‘Ekotrans’. But I can assure you: at present, «Ekotrans» is certainly not a source of negativity or a breach of environmental legislation,» stated Taras Pavliuk.

According to the director, the latest measurements were taken in March 2026, specifically near the nearest residential buildings at 47A and 47B Ozerna Street. The monitoring results, as Taras Pavliuk states, are published on the official portal of the Zavodskyi District and sent to the relevant authorities.

During the discussion, councillor Olena Kiseliova questioned the need to grant permits for the preparation of technical land management documentation if the land plots already have cadastral numbers and are entered in the State Land Cadastre.

«If the land plots have been formed and are in the cadastre, why do you need technical documentation rather than simply leasing them out?» she asked.

In response, the city’s chief architect, Yevhen Poliakov, explained that the draft decisions concern four different plots. One document provides for the lease of a plot of land for the maintenance of existing property, the second — the establishment of a right of way for fire engines. Two further draft resolutions concern the demarcation of land plots under real estate properties owned by the company at the addresses Proektna 3/1 and 3B.

Later, Yevhen Poliakov added that although the plots have cadastral numbers and are registered in the land cadastre, they are not registered in the register of property rights. Because of this, he said, it is impossible to complete the registration procedure without a decision by the city council.

«They are registered in the state land cadastre, but they are not registered in the register of property rights. And in this case, in order to lease them out, a corresponding decision by the council is required,» explained Yevhen Poliakov.

Councillor Fedir Panchenko noted that without a positive opinion from the relevant land commission, councillors are unlikely to support this decision, and proposed that the documents be sent for further consideration.

The councillors did not adopt the draft decisions. Fourteen councillors voted in favour, three against, and 17 abstained.

Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych advised the company’s representatives to resubmit the matter to the relevant land commission for review, as the issue had been brought before the session without a favourable opinion.

He also recalled that the company had previously faced complaints from residents of the Namyv and Lisky neighbourhoods, who complained about the smell of ‘roasted seeds’, an oily film on windows, smoke, noise and vibrations from the equipment.

«Residents saw the smoke and felt the vibration and noise from the equipment. We visited the site with the councillors; we were shown around, promised that everything would be fixed, and shown the changes. We received no proof that everything there is working properly, apart from some paperwork. Paperwork is all well and good, but the facts and reality do not always match what is on paper,» said Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych.

The mayor also proposed holding an on-site meeting of the land commission at the plant’s premises so that councillors could assess the situation first-hand and get answers to all their questions.

It should be noted that residents of the Namyv neighbourhood and other parts of the Zavodskyi district have repeatedly complained about the operations of the «Ekotrans» oil plant due to emissions and noise.

In 2020, searches were carried out at the plant as part of an investigation, and earlier, environmentalists had identified violations in the operations of the «Ekotrans» oil plant. Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych has also spoken out against the plant’s activities.

It was reported that near the «Ekotrans» plant in Mykolaiv, specialists from the State Environmental Inspection recorded the discharge of an unknown liquid that was contaminating the soil. The amount of damage amounted to almost 315,000.

The issue of air pollution caused by the «Ekotrans» plant was raised as far back as 2010. At that time, the Mykolaiv City Council took legal action against the oil extraction plant.

In March 2011, the State Environmental Protection Agency established that the company was emitting pollutants into the atmosphere in excess of permitted levels and ordered the plant to cease operations.

Vitalii Kim, Head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, said that the management of the «Ekotrans» oil plant, which had been the subject of regular complaints from residents of Namyv, had decided to install filters and carry out noise insulation work.