Belarus on the verge of technogenic catastrophe
- 26.10.2009, 9:29
Over the recent years Belarus has not been spending money on modernization, but on “make-up” of the outdated Soviet infrastructure. In general, wearing of equipment in industry has reached 70-80%.
Last year the International Financial Corporation held research of energy saving practices at Belarusian enterprises. It turned out that 41% of Belarusian enterprises use equipment which is more than 15 years old. Chemical and oil refining industry have distinguished themselves, as there are 53% of such enterprises in the country, “Zavtra tvoej strany” writes.
- According to statistics, in industry taken as a whole, the deterioration of the active part of the equipment, tools and transport is about 70-80%, while 60% are considered an extremely high level- notes Barys Zhaliba, Doctor of Science, Economics, Financial credit Department Chairman of Minsk Administration Institute.
As said by the economist, use of such equipment is ineffective and dangerous.
- Firstly, productive efficiency of the equipment which is more than 10 years old, is lower than of the equipment which uses more modern technologies, -- Barys Zhaliba explains. – Besides, old equipment needs higher maintenance costs, as it is idle more often because of breakdown and its natural depreciation. Consequently, competitive ability of the goods is lost.
By the way, in the research of the IFC it is stated that in the food industry, for instance, where 15-year-old and older equipment operation makes only 23%, the growth of sales volume in 2007 was by 10% as compared to the previous year.
- It causes concern that the deprecation is high at chemical and oil refinery enterprises, which work aggressive environments and inflammable liquids tanks, -- Barys Zhaliba says. – It is a potential threat of so-called technogenic catastrophes. Wearing of railway equipment which transports dangerous loads is as serious.
There is only one way out is replacement of fixed assets.
- But there is no money, -- Barys Zhaliba said. – The rate of equipment replacement in Belarus is 1-3%. It means that we would be able to replace fixed assets only over 50 years!
According to economist Leanid Zlotnikau, there are wished to modernize equipment in Belarus, but they are not realized, as the country does not have enough home investments, no developed home technologies.
In such a situation the government’s aim is to attract modern technologies and foreign financing sources to the enterprises. But this task is solved slower than it is desirable.
- We won’t do without Western technologies and Western capital, -- Leanid Zlotnikau sums up. According to some estimations, in order to renew Belarusian industry seriously, a few dozens billion dollars are to be invested in fixed assets. We won’t find such a sum inside the country.
As said by the expert of “Zavtra tvoej strany”, direct foreign investments comprise only about 1-2% in the volume of fixed assets investments, while in Russia this rate is 16%.
Note by www.charter97.org: It should be also noted that the IMF loans received by Belarus now are spent for anything but modernization of production. Instead of that military parades are organized in Belarus, as well as anti-NATO military exercises jointly with Russia; new ice arenas built.