Mykolaiv did not find money for a new heating network for almost half a billion hryvnias

Repair of the heating network on Pohranychna Street in Mykolaiv. Archive photos of NikVesti

The construction of the heating network for almost half a billion hryvnias on Pohranychna Street in Mykolaiv will not start this year — a donor has not yet been found.

About this NikVesti told Mykola Lohvinov, the director of the utility company Mykolaivoblteploenergo, which is the customer of the works.

It should be noted that despite this, the utility company held tenders. A group of companies Avtostrada received the contract for the construction of the heating network. For these works, the contractor will receive 487 million hryvnias. According to the tender, the company would have until the end of 2024 to complete the construction of a 3.5-kilometer network of two pipes with a diameter of 530 millimeters next to the old one, as well as to restore the road surface and lawns.

However, in the comment NikVesti Mykola Lohvinov said that the work will not be started yet, as there is no funding for it. He also explained why the company held the auction in advance. According to him, the customer wanted to find out the real budget for which the contractor can complete the work.

«We needed these auctions to understand the real budget of all this. Because, according to the project, there were 513 million hryvnias, and the bidding took place for 480 million hryvnias, that is, 30 million less than the proposed value. Therefore, we needed it in order to find out the real budget and offer the donor such an amount,» he said.

Director of the utility enterprise Mykolaivovlteploenergo Mykola Lohvinov. Archive photo NikVesti

Mykola Lohvinov said that in this case, the contractor will be able to start work immediately, as soon as the customer company finds a donor ready to finance the construction of the network.

«If a donor is found, the work will be able to start very quickly, because the tender has already been held, the contractor has already been found, that's what we planned,» he said.

The director of the enterprise explained why it was not possible to find financing for the project. According to him, the payback of the construction of the heat network is about 50-60 years.

«Unfortunately, these are quite large investments, and donors are not ready to invest, because heat networks are an unprofitable project, due to losses on the network, the payback of this project will be 50 or 60 years. Ideally, OJSC Naftogaz, which is the owner of the network, would find donors or funds and build a new heating network,» Mykola Lohvinov said.

When asked why, in his opinion, only one company, Avtostrada, took part in the tender, which actually received the contract without competition, the director of the company suggested that it could be due to the tight deadlines and special terms of the contract, in particular, the advance rate of 10% from the entire cost of the works.

«I don't know, I think it may be related to the fact that the terms are very short, to the fact that the amount of the advance payment there was only 10%, since we were preparing this proposal based on the requirements of international donors. Donors always pay an advance of 10%, no more, and in Ukraine companies are used to receiving 30-40%,» said Mykola Lohvinov.

It will be recalled that the utility company Mykolaivoblteploenergo owes NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine about 500 million hryvnias for natural gas. However, the director of the enterprise, Mykola Lohvinov, assures that the indebtedness of Mykolaivoblteploenergo to JSC Naftogaz of Ukraine will not affect the start of the new heating season 2024-2025. According to him, the company is 100% ready for the start of the season.