Agro Gas Trading (AGT) approached OPZ management at the end of 2025, after the Odesa Port Plant (OPZ) privatization auction failed, with a proposal to restart the plant under a tolling model.
However, this proposal was ignored, as stated by AGT partner Oleksandr Gorbunenko in an interview with political analyst Yuriy Romanenko.
"When we learned that the OPZ privatization auction [in November 2025] did not take place, we decided to go all the way and find a way to implement our intentions and initiatives. We proposed to OPZ a launch under the previous model we had worked with before – tolling. Unfortunately, over two months we have not received any information confirming OPZ's interest in working," Gorbunenko noted.
Gorbunenko emphasizes that AGT, as a tolling raw material supplier, is ready to assume all risks arising in the OPZ restart process. The essence of the tolling model is that the supplier provides raw materials to the plant and pays for their processing, in return receiving finished products.
As a reminder, in 2019–2021, AGT cooperated with OPZ under a tolling contract. AGT supplied the plant with over 1.4 billion cubic meters of gas, which allowed production of nearly 2 million tons of finished products – including carbamide and ammonia. AGT's total payments to OPZ amounted to UAH 4.5 billion, comparable to OPZ's starting price at the 2025 privatization auction.
Gorbunenko also confirmed that AGT plans to participate in a new OPZ privatization auction scheduled for 2026. The previous auction in November 2025 was declared failed due to absence of participants. At the same time, Gorbunenko claims that AGT was groundlessly not allowed to participate in the previous privatization auction, and artificial administrative barriers were created for the company.
Currently, OPZ is not carrying out its core activities and remains idle. The plant's facilities are being used as a hub for grain transshipment.