"Kovalchuk is now actively being built in Kashira. This is a very ambitious project ", - he told Forbes the owner of one of the suburban agricultural holdings and confirmed the two managers who are familiar with the project. It is a hothouse complex in Kashira district whose Vegetables may eventually take up 15% of the market of Moscow and Moscow fresh-products. According to Forbes interlocutors, the project of "Agro-Culture Group" $ 5 billion realized on the loans of the bank "Russia", the main shareholder is Yury Kovalchuk. Greenhouse complex was able to not only get the money available, but cheap "energy from the outlet" from the Kashira GRES.

The project developed an accelerated pace: in December 2014 adopted the project documentation, construction began in April 2015 and has already planted the first seeds of cucumbers in November. Greenhouse projects usually begins with cucumbers - they will ripen and bring quick money - in 2016, the complex should grow 8,700 tons of cucumbers. Investing in launching the first phase of an area of ​​9.4 hectares of greenhouses were about 2 billion rubles. After startingTorah queue 12.5 hectares (investment, according to the company, of 3 billion rubles), the complex plans to produce 18 000 tons of vegetables - cucumbers will add to the tomatoes and herbs.

All four stages of greenhouses with total area of ​​76 hectares must be submitted by 2018 - and then the plant will become one of the largest greenhouses in Central Russia.

The harvest will be 74 000 tons of vegetables. "After running all queues plant can provide up to 15% of the market of Moscow and the Moscow region", - said Herman Elyanyushkin, Deputy Prime Minister of the Moscow region.

The success of any greenhouse project consists of three main components: land, energy and commodity market. "We have chosen a picturesque place in Kashira area a hundred kilometers from Moscow", - explained on the website "Agriculture Group" siting near the village Novoselki. for the greenhouse complex site was chosen deliberately, Forbes says a source familiar with the project, situated near the Kashira GRES, the biggest power station in the capital region. Its share - power capacity of 1910 MW - nrihoditsya about 10% of the total power generation of the Moscow energy system.

In February 2016 the company "RusEnergoMir" built for "Agriculture Group" transformer substation of 110 kW, which is connected to the high voltage line "Kashira GRES-Mordves". "The customer has set an extremely short period of time, - said the project manager Denis Minibaev. - To meet the deadline, the company optimize process design, procurement, construction and financing. " The total capacity of the substation is 25 MVA and as the site says, "RusEnergoMir" she require the customer to power the lighting technology of the greenhouse complex. JSC OGK-1, which includes the Kashira GRES, of Forbes refused to disclose the size of the tariff for the greenhouse complex, but, according to experts, it can be 2-3 times lower than those for conventional agricultural enterprises who are paid.

Cheap "energy from the socket" - a competitive advantage for the greenhouse project. In cucumber cost 50% of the costs accounted for lighting and heating. "Energy from GRWith the lighting will go on - supplementary lighting, heating them gas - Forbes says the source familiar with the project. - If there is spare capacity, energy interested to sell the energy. " Most modern greenhouse complexes built with gas generation, says one of the competitors' Agriculture Group ": cheap electricity a bit -" few people can build a network of close to nuclear power plants or hydroelectric power station ". For example, Alexei Antipov, founder of the company "Baltimore", a partner in his greenhouse complex was Syasko PPM shareholder Alexei Shmargunenko - he found the ground next to the mill and connected to their boiler greenhouses.

In addition to cheap energy "Agriculture Group" owners failed to get loans on good terms: "Money credit, but not the Russian Agricultural Bank - their finances" Russia "bank.

The main owner of the bank is Yury Kovalchuk (42,3% including the stake owned by the wife). The loan amount in the "Agriculture Group" refused to name. The representative of the Bank "Russia" reported that fails to respond promptly to the questions Forbes. According to reports in 2014, at the design stage of the complex amount of credit, the company was only 35 million rubles, reports for 2015 are not provided.

The "Agriculture Group" Due to deny Kovalchuk. "Yuri V. Kovalchuk our project never had and has nothing to do, did not invest anything and does not invest," - said Forbes CEO "Agriculture Group" Vladimir Chernyshov. According to the register, Chernyshov owns 50% of the company, another 50% - the company "Relight-Agro", a subsidiary of the bank "Relight", belonging to the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC).

Before the start of sowing the seeds of cucumbers greenhouse complex consecrated and held prayer dean of churches of Kashira district Valery Soskovets priest.

"It was a difficult situation, and they [the" Relight-Agro "] at the right time in the right place", - said earlier Chernyshov RBC. Greenhouse business for himself in the new product. Chernyshov worked for several years the CEO of "Ozone", managing the ski resort "Igora"Leningrad region, it is called a co-owner of the same Kovalchuk.

The ban on the import of vegetables from Europe and Turkey, as well as the Ministry of Agriculture Bet on doubling the area attracted Russian greenhouses in this business, several members of the Forbes list. Recently, AFK "Sistema" Vladimir Yevtushenko bought a greenhouse complex "South", one of the largest in the country. Its greenhouses have already the owner of OJSC "Magnit" Sergey Galitsky and Alexander avtodillera Warsaw. Ex-owner of "Skartela" Sergei Adoniev with partner Sergei Rukina new greenhouse complex in Lukhovitsy near Moscow and the Tyumen region. Agro "Rusagro" Vladimir Moshkovich began designing large greenhouse complex on 100 hectares, and the son of Roman Abramovich Arkady looking for a suitable site for its project. "The excitement has gone, - confirms Michael Glushkov, executive director of the Union producers of vegetables. - But the cream is usually removed by those who came first. "