MEPs emphasize the need to provide Avdiivka coke oven with water

The Avdiivka Coke Plant (AKHZ) of Metinvest Group was visited by deputies of the European Parliament and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine - members of the Parliamentary Committee of the Association between Ukraine and the EU. The delegation positively assessed the work of the enterprise in accordance with international environmental standards, noted the important role of the plant for the city and Ukrainian industry. MEPs noted that if the enterprise is not provided with technical water, there is a risk of stopping the plant and the decline of the city. MEPs will discuss the situation at the plant and in Avdiivka today at a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee of the Ukraine-EU Association.

Despite the location of the enterprise in a zone of active hostilities, production facilities are being modernized at AKHZ. The plant is implementing a number of significant projects: construction of a crude benzene storage facility and a new tube furnace for resin heating, modernization of the plant's railway automation system and coke shop No. 4 with the introduction of an automatic process control system. This year, the company plans to start implementing an environmental project to eliminate emissions of harmful substances from the tanks and storage facilities of the resin distillation shop. In total, almost UAH 0.5 billion will be allocated for the development and renewal of production facilities by the end of 2017.

AKHZ continues fruitful cooperation with the city. This year 11, 9 million hryvnyas were allocated to support Avdiivka. Koksokhim repairs educational and healthcare facilities, improves transport logistics and urban infrastructure. The company paid special attention to the restoration of the houses of the factory workers who were damaged during the shelling. Thanks to the power engineers of DTEK and AKHZ, a new power line was installed from the territory controlled by Ukraine. This provided the city with uninterrupted power supply and enabled the city-forming enterprise to operate at full capacity. The laying of the Ocheretino-Avdeevka gas pipeline has begun. The cost of the project is UAH 58 million. Metinvest will invest half of the funds under the Social Partnership Program with the city, the other half will be allocated from the regional budget.

Co-chairman of the Parliamentary Committee of the Ukraine-European Union Association Dariusz Rosatti:

- This is a very significant plant - it provides 80% of all receipts to the city treasury. We see the results of the shelling, but the plant continues to work - this is important both for Avdiivka and for the Ukrainian industry. And of course, it's very good that money is being invested in environmental projects.

Co-chairman of the Parliamentary Committee of the Ukraine-EU Association Mykola Knyazhytskyi:

- We were shown the production process, people who continue to restore the plant in such difficult conditions, e�