Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 11/ Trend , E. Ismayilov/
The salt iodination and refining plant in Masazir settlement near Baku is expected to be launched in summer of 2009, president of Azersun Holding Abdolbari Goozal said.
"The plant will be launched in 6-6.5 months and Azerbaijani population will use iodinated salt for the first time," Goozal said.
The project costs 12 million manat. The cost of the project was estimated once again including land plot of 7ha for the plant allotted by the State Property Management Committee of Azerbaijan. Initially, it was estimated at 10 million manat.
The State Committee for State Property Management of Azerbaijan has allotted some 7 ha of land for the Azerbaijani Salt Production Union closed joint stock company founded by Azersun Holding and Azerbaijani Investment Company (AIC). AIC plans to invest some $2.9 million or 25 percent of capital.
The Swiss Evoterm has supplied the necessary equipment for the construction of the plant. The construction will be carried out by the Turkish Inova and it will be completed in a year.
The plant will be built not far from Masazir lake near Baku. The salt will be collected from the section located in Masazir lake, with further deliveries from Turkmenistan for the refining in future.
The supplies from Turkmenistan may begin at least in a year and half after the construction of the plan, but it will be oriented on the domestic salt for the time being.
Originally, the plant was expected to manufacture 100 tons of salt per day, but it will be increased to 200 tons a day due to high demand.
The project Problems of Deficit of Iodine and Iodinated Universal Salt implemented with the support of UNICEF showed that the problem of the deficit of iodine is very urgent question.
On Feb. 11, the official exchange rate is 0,807 manat to $1.
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