Ukraine ready to open its infrastructure to private investors - presidential deputy chief of staff

MOSCOW. Dec 14 (Interfax) - Ukraine is offering new sectors, such as infrastructure that has been mostly in public ownership until lately, to private investors alongside traditional areas, which include the electric power industry, agribusiness and information technologies, deputy chief of staff of the Ukrainian Presidential Office Rostislav Shurma said.

"We are ready to open infrastructure, such as airports, roads, ports, bridges and railways, to private businesses," the Ukrainian media quoted Shurma as saying at the Ukraine sustainability and reconstruction conference in Paris.

The Ukrainian electric power industry should traditionally be of interest to investors owing to its developed grid and a vast potential for solar and wind energy. Shurma said. In his words, Ukraine is hoping to draw from $100 billion to $150 billion investment in this industry alone.

As for agribusiness, Shurma noted the focus on a higher degree of processing, including that of milk and meat, and the selling of such products in Europe.

Ukrainian manufacturing plants should also be interesting to investors amid the increased geopolitical risks of goods supply from China and the risk of long-range logistics demonstrated by the coronavirus pandemic, while Ukraine is "just 72 hours away," he said.

The Ukrainian government is actively working on infrastructure for drawing private capital, Shurma said. In particular, this is being done together with BlackRock, Morgan Stanley and Citi, so that private businesses could instantly apply for preferential public funding in recovery projects.