OREANDA-NEWS. March 4, 2011. Two investment projects were considered at the session of a working group for assistance to mobilization of investments into economy of the republic. The session was held on March 2 chaired by Yuri Kancher, First Deputy Head of the Republic of Karelia.

The project of construction of an incubator for cultivation of rainbow trout seeding was presented by Virta Joint-Stock Company which is an independent structure of Kala-Ranta Joint-Stock Company. The company has already gained experience in trout-breding: in 2009 in the settlement of Kurkiyoki, Lahdenpohja region, it has started the first in Karelia incubator plant rasing small rainbow trouts. By 2010 the volume of commodity fish raised there has made 300 tons. Now the plant plans to increase trout production up to 1000 tons. However, there is shortage of seeding necessary for this purpose. Therefore, a decision was made to build the second factory for small rainbow trout breeding. Construction is planned at the expense of own and loanable funds. According to the director general of Virta Joint-Stock Company Timur Gazimagomedov, construction will begin this spring, and it is planned to put the object into operation in December. Capacity of the new factory will three times surpass the old one – it is supposed to make 12-13 million trouts a year there. It will solve the task of provision of all trout-breeding farms of both Karelia, and Leningrad region with home-produced qualitative seeding. At implementation of the project there will be created 20 new jobs.

As Yuri Kancher has mentioned, the investment project is of special value for social and economic development of Lahdenpohja region and development of commodity fish breeding in Karelia.

Another project considered at the session is also influential and significant. Karelia, as well as the whole country, is going to switch to all-digital broadcast TV. Digital broadcast promises a picture of high quality and a wider choice of channels even in remote regions of the republic where now only 2-3 channels are available. With transition to all-digital broadcast TV, first, there will be 9 channels, and then at least 16.

As director of the branch of The Radio and TV Broadcasting Center of the Republic of Karelia Vladimir Bolshakov said, in 2011 it is planned to build 12 objects of digital TV and radio broadcasting in Petrozavodsk, Sortavala, Nadvoitsy, Medvezhyegorsk and other regions. Upon completion of objects there will take place test broadcasting with subsequent switch to 24-hour broadcasting of 9 channels. By this time 65% of the population of Karelia will watch digital broadcasting. Investments into implementation of activities of this stage will make about 250 million roubles. Test broadcasting will be launched in Petrozavodsk this year.

Currently, 35 more new objects to be built in 2012 are projected. Then all-digital broadcast TV will be available for 97% of citizens of Karelia. Owners of modern TV sets will be able to receive the signal without any additional spendings. Others will need to have a receiving decoder.

Among the priority TV and radio channels there are Channel One, Russia, Vesti +, Culture, Sport, NTV, 5-TV, children's and regional channels. Digital broadcating will be also offered by Radio Russia, Radio Mayak and Vesti FM. A switch to digital broadcasting will be gradual. When testing is complete, usual analog transmitters will keep working for awhile. To switch to all-digital broadcast Russia should by 2015.

Session of the working group has also summed up implementation of federal programs in Karelia in 2010. Valentin Luntsevich, Deputy Head of the Republic of Karelia and Minister of Economic Development of the Republic of Karelia, has pointed out that due to all sources of financing to perform activities of federal target programs it has been stipulated more than 9 billion roubles, that is 54% more than in 2009. Investments due to funds of the federal budget have made more than 5 billion roubles that has exceeded the level of 2009 twice.

On the approved by the Government of Russia List of Building Sites and Objects for Federal State Needs last year in Karelia it has been financed 12 construction projects. Due to federal means construction and reconstruction of some objects was carried out: two sites of Kola highway, building of the Supreme Court, fire depot on the island of Valaam, academic and laboratory building of Petrozavodsk State University, and many other.

In 2010 the republic participated in implementation of 15 target federal programs, and on a number of them it was managed to achieve significant growth in mobilization of investment. This year it is supposed that the region will participate in 16 federal programs which total amount of federal investments makes about 5,4 billion roubles.