Ukraine's Epicenter Group to build 5 mln-tonne grain terminal at Pivdenny port
Epicenter Group and the family of Ukrainian MP Anatoliy Urbansky plan to build a grain terminal at Pivdenny Port in Odesa region with an annual handling capacity of 5 million tonnes of grain. The project is estimated to cost between $160 million and $270 million, according to Latifundist.com.
The first announcement of the terminal project was made in November 2024 by Epicenter K CEO Petro Mykhailyshyn. In April 2025, the information was confirmed by the group's head of agribusiness, Svitlana Nikityuk.
The publication reports that the terminal project is more than just business plans on paper. In 2025, Casablanca Shipping Limited (Cyprus), whose founder is Epicenter K LLC, acquired a 32.61% stake in Promtekhnovatsiya LLC (Odesa). The remaining shares are held by Anatoliy Urbansky (16.48%) and Kateryna and Denys Urbansky, who each own 25.46%.
Promtekhnovatsiya leases land plots in the water area of Pivdenny Port and near the local T1606 road. The total area for construction is around 32 hectares. This area is sufficient for building a railway and truck unloading station close to the highway, from which grain will be transported via conveyor gallery to silos and the transshipment terminal.
The construction remains at the project stage, developed in 2024. Its planned cargo turnover is 5 million tonnes per year, with a total silo storage capacity of 250,000 tonnes.
According to the project, a dedicated railway station will be built with an annual throughput capacity of up to 3 million tonnes and the ability to handle up to five freight trains (50–70 cars) daily. The land plot for the station covers 10 hectares. The site will feature a railcar unloading station with a capacity of 2,000 tonnes per hour and a truck unloading station with a capacity of 1,000 tonnes per hour.
A 1,600-meter conveyor gallery with a throughput of 1,200 tonnes per hour will connect the unloading station with the main elevators. Grain will be delivered to about 50 silos with a combined storage capacity of 250,000 tonnes, located on a 10-hectare site.
Plans also include building a berth up to 350 meters long with a depth of 16 meters. Agricultural products will be loaded using two tower cranes with a combined handling capacity of 1,500 tonnes per hour. All equipment for unloading, transportation, storage, and transshipment of grain is owned by Promtekhnovatsiya.
Port officials familiar with the construction process said the project is progressing successfully. The launch of the terminal is scheduled for 2026. Despite the technical complexity, industry sources expressed optimism that the project will be completed on time. However, market participants are reluctant to predict the payback period.
Epicenter K, which includes Epicenter Agro, was established in 2003 and opened its first hypermarket in Kyiv in December of the same year. It has a network of eponymous shopping centers in Ukraine. Since 2016, it has been developing the agricultural direction of the business. It processes more than 160,000 hectares in Vinnytsia, Khmelnytsky, Ternopil, Zhytomyr, Cherkasy and Kyiv regions. The group includes 20 livestock farms and 15 silo complexes. The agroholding's own production of agricultural products is about 1 million tonnes. In 2025, Epicenter Agro launched its own trading.