OREANDA-NEWS. December 25, 2007. A consolidation process continues taking place in the Ukrainian market of commercial gases production and sale. The representatives of the largest global corporations are actively collecting here the profile assets. At the end of the last week, the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine permitted to Linde AG corporation (Germany) to consolidate more than 50% in Kyiv Carbon Dioxide CJSC, UFC's press service reported. Kyiv Carbon Dioxide produces commercial gases (carbon dioxide, oxygen, argon, and nitrogen). The partners of the company are the firms specialized in production of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages: Rosinka, Obolon, Slavutych; pharmaceutical companies: Darnitsa. Borschagovka Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals, and a number of medical institutions.

Of large commercial gases producers only Lvov Chemicals is still controlled by domestic investors. Kharkov Autogenous OJSC since mid-2005 has been controlled by Messer corporation (Germany), Kyiv Oxygen and Yugtekhgas last year were purchased by Kriogenmash holding (Russia). Kyiv Carbon Dioxide became for Linde AG the second purchased asset in Ukraine as well. Via its Sweden subsidiary – AGA Aktiebolag – the company controls Dneprokislorod since mid-1996.

Linde AG is the largest global supplier of equipment for ethane and propane cracking for production of ethylene and propylene for their subsequent processing, and the leader in production of facilities for air separation to obtain commercial gases of high purity (nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen). One of the key structural units of the group is Linde Gas – a leading supplier of commercial gases in Europe, and one of the largest gases suppliers in the world.

It is interesting that this Kyiv-based company was transformed into the CJSC only in the late 2005, before – it had a status of a collectively-owned enterprise. Also, at the end of 2005, the control over the company was gained by Mikhail Kolotusha, CEO, and his daughter Irina Kolotusha, who became the supervisory board chair of the company. The family of Kolotushas accumulated at that time more than 75% interest in the newly created CJSC.