Based in Netherlands, European Technology and Investment Research Center (ETIRC) will help convert all Sochi’s busses to use hydrogen fuel. Contract with all the details will be signed by the end of this month, reports Max Media Group. The Dutch specialists will provide the technology to convert diesel and gasoline powered engines to use hydrogen fuel, and will build reservoirs and fuel stations around the city.

Fast sea ships will be operating between Sochi and Anapa, smaller Black Sea resort in Russia. These ships can reach speeds of 70 km/hr (44 mi/hr) and will operate during summer-fall seasons. The will also make stops in other sea-side cities.

Until the breakup of the Soviet Union, this was one of the common ways of transportation in Sochi. Because of the overloaded roads, and common visits of high-level international guests, I wish this was returned as in-town transportation, not just for long distance rides.

In addition to the renovations, internet club, and a new bank branch inside, new post office now includes new electronic waiting system. Now, instead waiting in line, customers will select service type they need, and a ticket will be printed out; when their number appears on the display, they can go to the operator. Nineteen operating windows are available, 17 for any type of service and two are specialised. Internet access is designed for six work places and is equipped with the broadband connection.

Ecology council “Sochi-2014” has approved additional ecological initiatives which will become part of Federal Targeted Program for Sochi.

Among approved initiatives are development of complex system for water supply and water drainage, creation of educational and scientific centers that are focused on ecology, development of program to use renewable energy sources, creation of rehabilitation center for wild animals, and development of a system for complex ecological monitoring. It also includes programs for total waste utilization and zero-carbon balance.

Program for waste utilization assumes complete utilization of solid domestic and biological waste in the whole city. For the realization of this program all current waste dumps will be closed and land restored. New plants will be built for ecological waste disposal and recycling.

Zero-carbon balance program will be realized by using energy saving technologies on all objects of the energy infrastructure, each of which will be modernized to be able to use renewable sources of energy. Quotas will be imposed on the amount of greenhouse gases produced.

Complex system of ecological monitoring will be created to monitor environment during construction of Olympic projects. It will include regular inspections of construction sites and satellite monitoring. Special attention will be focused on monitoring Sochi National Park and its surroundings.

Wow, Sochi’s going greener than ever :) Exciting stuff…

Rosprirodnadzor — Russian federal service in supervision of natural resource use — will conduct examination of Sochi’s Federal Targeted Program which was designed to turn Sochi into true year-round resort by year 2014. The commission of experts will include scientists and representatives from independent ecological organizations.

Governor of Krasnodar Krai Alexandr Tkachev signed seven deals worth more than €950 million during the first day of the international real estate summit in Cannes — MIPIM-2007, reports REGNUM information agency. Some of those deals are investments in Sochi, for new multifunctional centers and a hotel complex. Krasnodar Region’s exhibition os one of the largest on the event. This year they showcase around 1 400 projects worth €47 billion, including new projects in newly established special economic tourism and recreational zones and Olympic projects in Sochi. One hundred presented Sochi projects include hotels, sport structures, mountain resorts, and a golf club.

Meanwhile, Russian minister of economic development German Gref, announced that the price of the federal program of making Sochi into year-round resort may go up due to the increased price of some projects, and that Russian government will increase its funding. These money will go into infrastructure projects, he clarified. The new numbers will be known in the end of this year. Just to remind you, currently $12 billion is planned to be invested in this program, $7.5 billion of which will be invested by the government.

First investment project was signed during the meeting of the Mixed Committee for economic, industrial, and technical cooperation between Russia and Portugal in Lisbon, Portugal on February 27. The project is a hotel complex in Sochi, which will be called “Portuguese village”. The cost of the project is $150 million.

If you’re looking for investment opportunities in Russia and in Sochi, you maybe interested in reading the web log of Denis Andreev who is involved in Real Estate business in Krasnodar Krai region (where Sochi is located).

Here are a couple of links to his English language posts:

• Russian Real Estate Market in Q3 2006
• Attractiveness of Russia

Not too long ago Sochi’s main theater – Sputnik – has been demolished, to make room for a new business center. This almost 50 years old building was located in the very center of the city, and had rather unusual architectural design. Its hard to imagine center with out this building, it was on of Sochi’s landmarks. But I still think it was a right decision. It was old theater, uncomfortable seats, and … it awfully smelled inside :) Last time I was there this past September, and it smelled as if we were in a shelter for homeless people. I wouldn’t go there again. I’m surprised it lasted there for so long. However, I wish they’d build something more cultural to replace it, not a business center, because this location is very close to many other tourist attractions – “Riviera” park, sea port, sea-front near lighthouse, shopping centers, and right across Sochi’s main post office building with its new fountains.

Here are a couple photos of “Sputnik” I found on Flickr: Read the rest of this entry »

Krasnodar Krai governor Aleksandr Tkachev said during a press conference in Sochi that people, whose houses are located on the land where Olympic projects are planned, will be compensated, “their houses will be bought using real market prices”. The real market prices jumped incredibly in this region (as well as in Big Sochi and all neighbouring regions).

“There are very few of such buildings – about 3%, and theoretically, they will have to be demolished… Our projects and solutions are ready. But I want to stress, that nothing will be done without consent of our citizens. No mass demolition will be done” – said governor Tkachev.

He also said that up to 150 families may be affected. And that those families that built their houses illegally(*) are being helped to legalize their property, so if necessary they can get compensation.

(*) some people in Russia built houses first, with hopes to legalize them later, though the courts or bribes. Unfortunately this was not uncommon in Russia, especially in the 90’s. But with our new minister of ecology and for some other reasons this has become a risky business.

As I wrote before, people who live in the Imeritinskaya Valley, where Olympic stadiums are planned, are concerned that they will loose their houses and not be compensated according to the value. The concerns come after several recent similar conflicts between Moscow gov’t and Moscow residents.

Interesting thing happened with these people during IOC visit. “Greens”, who are protesting against Olympics in Sochi, included them to their group for the meeting with IOC commitee last week, but later had taken them of that list. “We think that “greens” wanted to use us in their protests against the Olympics in Sochi. But they took us from their list after they found out that we are not against the Olympics, and that we just want to protect our rights…” – said one of the residents.

$400 million will be spent for keeping safe environment in Sochi, including $130 mil for Sochi National Park.

Some of the new Sochi facilities will be built to use sun battery power and the energy created by processing domestic waste, reports «Rossiiskaya Gazeta» daily. Also purifying and waste disposal facilities will be reconstructed.

An alarm system that will warn about falling rocks will be implemented on the railroad between Dagomys and Central districts, reports North Caucasus Railroads.

The biggest news in Sochi today is that IOC evaluation group, which arrived a day before, has begun their five day tour of the city. I guess we won’t get any on the results or even rumors, at least not ’till all three candidate cities are toured by IOC. The only kind of reaction from the evaluation group was that they were amazed by the mountains/sea view of Sochi’s during landing. Meanwhile the city will be “hit” by over 80 cultural programs  this week, most of which (if not all) will have “in support of Olympics in Sochi” slogan. Some of these events will be visited by IOC. They will also meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who will probably confirm once again government’s financial commitments and promises of completing all constructions on time.

Actually this is the weakest point of Sochi’s bid – having everything done on time. That is because 80-90% of all Olympic projects must be created from the ground up. There were previous talks about hiring American and European companies to help Russian companies to manage all the construction, as Americans and Europeans have a lot of experience in managing projects this big.

Thirteen new electricity-powered trains will operate in Sochi if the city will be selected as Olympics host. These trains will have three carts of different comfort levels, and they will travel with speeds of up to 140 km/h. New trains will have A/C, automatic temperature control, powered sliding doors inside, fire fighting systems, and a lot of other hi-tech cool stuff. These trains will operate between Adler and Tuapse.

This week has seen, probably, most heated arguments from opposers and supporters of hosting Olympic Games in Sochi. Not surprisingly, though, IOC officials will visit Sochi in a few days on their last tour of the city, before they select an official host in June.

So, lets take a look at both sides (long post) Read the rest of this entry »