Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Feb. 9
By Demir Azizov - Trend:
The Uzbek Metallurgical Plant (Uzmetkombinat, Bekabad city, Tashkent region) has completed the steelmaking modernization project worth $17.1 million, the plant told Trend on Feb. 7.
It was previously reported that the modernization project envisaged the turnkey construction of liquid steel vacuum unit with a capacity of 150,000 tons per year with the reconstruction of the steel processing unit.
Romanian Adrem Invest is a supplier of technology and equipment. The Romanian company conducted the start-up operations and trained the staff as part of a contract worth $13.1 million.
The project was financed by Uzmetkombinat's own funds to the amount of $8.1 million and Uzbek Mortgage Bank's loan worth $9 million.
The unit was constructed as part of the preparation for launching the production of steel seamless hot-deformed pipes with a capacity of 100,000 tons annually in 2016. The project cost is $ 240 million.
Uzmetkombinat is the only ironworks in Central Asia, working with scrap metal, which accounts for 90 percent of steel products in the country.
The plant was put into operation in 1956. Previously, it recycled scrap metal obtained from all republics of Central Asia.
The plant can produce 790,000 tons of steel and 760,000 tons of rolled metal.
Uzmetkombinat increased steel production by 1.3 percent up to 746,200 tons, including the production of finished steel - by 1.1 percent to 718,000 tons in 2013 compared to 2012.
Translated by N.H.