The Pobuzhsky Ferronickel Plant is the only enterprise in Ukraine which produces ferronickel from poor oxidized ore containing shekel on an industrial scale. The enterprise is the main employer not only in the largest settlement of Golovanivskiy district, but also in the Kirovograd region. Currently, more than 35% of the population of the village of Pobuzhske is employed at the plant.
The terms of reference for the production of commodity ferronickel were developed in 1963 and approved by the Council of Ministers of Ukraine in July 1964. In December 1972, the first phase of the Pobuzhsky Nickel Plant was put into operation. According to Presidential Decree No. 210 of July 15, 1993 “On Incorporation of State-Owned Enterprises” and Decree of the Ministry of Industry of Ukraine No. 232 of July 15, 1994, the state Pobuzhsky Nickel Plant was transformed into OJSC “Pobuzhsky Ferronickel Plant”.
In 2003, after a long downtime, the large international company, Solway Investment Group, acquired the assets of the company and restarted it a year later. The Pobuzhsky Ferronickel Plant was transformed into the Pobuzhsky Ferro-Nickel Mill and the production of ferronickel was restored. The main raw material base for the production of ferronickel is the imported ore. PFP is now fully integrated into the Solway Investment Group production process. Diversification of the group’s assets helps to reduce the risk of external economic problems affecting the operating activities of the individual entities which are part of the group due to synergies within the group. This is especially true for the nickel production segment. Solway Group’s total investments in the Pobuzhsky Ferro-Nickel Plant amount to more than $ 130 million.
Solway Investment Group:
Solway International Investment Group started operations in 2002. It is a private company which operates a diversified business in the mining and metallurgical industries. The Group’s key companies are incorporated in Switzerland, Luxembourg, Estonia and Malta. 100% of its authorized capital is owned by EU citizens. Solway’s major manufacturing assets are located in North Macedonia, Guatemala, Indonesia, Argentina and Ukraine.