Kungrad Soda Plant, located in Karakalpakstan (western Uzbekistan), is producing 270 tonnes of soda ash a day, which means it has almost achieved its designed capacity of 100,000 tonnes a year. The US…
Kungrad Soda Plant, located in Karakalpakstan (western Uzbekistan), is producing 270 tonnes of soda ash a day, which means it has almost achieved its designed capacity of 100,000 tonnes a year. The USD 100 million plant was commissioned in August 2006. Turn-key technology for the plant was supplied by China“s Citic Pacific Ltd. at a cost of USD 32.3 million, funded by a loan from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (90% of the contract cost) with insurance provided by the Chinese Export and Credit Insurance Corporation, and a loan from the UzPromStroyBank (Uzbek Industrial Construction Bank, 10% of the contract cost) guaranteed by the Uzbek government. General construction work was performed by local firms. Output from Kungrad Soda Plant is capable of covering both domestic demand for soda ash, and the export of soda ash, hydrate of sodium, and table salt. Uzbekistan“s domestic demand for soda ash is estimated at 60,000-70,000 tonnes a year. The main customers are companies in the household chemical industry and producers of construction materials, including glass. The resource base for Kungrad Soda Plant is Barsakelmes salt deposit (explored reserves estimated at 131 million tonnes of table salt containing 97% of NaCl) and the Jamansay limestone deposit (explored reserves estimated at 70 million tonnes) located in the Republic of Karakalpakstan.