The Odesa Port-Side Plant remains a key large-scale privatization asset in 2026, but following last year’s unsuccessful auction, achieving success this year will require more precise and carefully calibrated sale conditions, said Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine Daria Marchak in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

"Odesa Port-Side Plant is a complex asset: the company has debts, including an old debt [confirmed by the Stockholm arbitration] to [Group DF owner Dmytro] Firtash. Therefore, it is obvious that we must fundamentally rethink how we approach the sale of this asset," she said.

"However, in any case, we plan to put this asset up for sale this year and hope that we will be able to find buyers," Marchak added.

According to her, the failed auction for the sale of Odesa Port-Side Plant on November 25 last year sent an important signal that under the current conditions and with a starting price of UAH 4.49 billion, investors are not ready to enter.

"We need legislative changes that will unlock the ability to lower the price for large-scale privatization assets during repeated sales. And here I very much count on the support of members of parliament," the deputy minister stressed.

She clarified that the Ministry of Economy will propose that parliament approve the following sequence for selling such assets: first, at book value or valuation-based price; if the asset is not sold, a second auction is held at a reduced starting price but with upward bidding; if the second attempt also fails, a third auction is conducted with a descending price mechanism.

"This makes it possible to find the true market value and a real investor. Unfortunately, for large-scale privatization at the start of the full-scale invasion, changes were introduced that effectively halted the second and third stages," Marchak explained.

She added that if such changes are not adopted, the Ministry of Economy and the State Property Fund will look for other solutions, possibly through restructuring the company’s debt.

"The second asset [for possible large-scale privatization in 2026] is Sumykhimprom. We understand the risks. It is located near the front line, and this is a significant risk factor for the asset. This is not only an economic issue, but also a security one," the deputy minister said.

As reported, a repeat online auction for the privatization of 99.99% of Sumykhimprom shares, scheduled for January 13, 2026, with a reduced starting price of UAH 1.088 billion (excluding VAT), did not take place, as was also the case with the previous auction on June 11, 2025, due to a lack of bidders.