Uzbekistan, Tashkent, October 14/ Trend D.Azizov /
The Uzbek Metallurgical Plant, Uzmetkombinat JSC, based at Bekabad in Tashkent, accounts for 90 per cent of the country's ferrous metallurgy production and increased its steel production by 0.9 per cent, up to 580,800 tons in January-September 2013 compared to the same period of 2012, a plant representative told Trend on Saturday.
At the same time, the finished steel production increased by 0.5 per cent up to 559,100 tons at the plant.
In 2012, the company's steel production increased by 0.4 per cent up to 736,300 tons, rolled products by 0.1 per cent to 710,500 tons and special iron rose by 0.2 per cent to 564,800 tons.
Uzmetcombinat is the only ferrous metallurgy company in Central Asia that works with scrap metal. The plant was commissioned in 1956. Previously it recycled scrap metal coming from all the Central Asian republics. Currently scrap metal is generated in the country as well as raw materials purchased outside the state.
The plant can produce 790,000 tons of steel and 760,000 tons of special iron.
Currently, Uzmetkombinat is implementing a production development and modernisation programme worth $134.7 million for the period until 2016. This is being self-financed by Uzmetkombinat's own funds.
It is expected that the programme's implementation will increase the steel production capacity of the plant by 13.3 per cent up to 850,000 tons, processed scrap metal by almost 1.8 times to 670,000 tons and reduce electricity costs by 20 per cent by 2016.
The official exchange rate on October 14 is 2158.36 soum//$ 1.