Uzbekistan, Tashkent, July 14 / Trend D. Azizov /
The Uzbek Reconstruction and Development Fund will allocate loan worth $ 52.8 million to the state joint-stock company Uzbekenergo to modernize Novoangren thermal power plant in the Tashkent region, a source in the government told Trend.
The loan will be allocated for 10 years, including a three-year grace period under three percent per annum.
The credit will be used to implement the first phase of transferring the thermal power plant for a year-round burning coal. The term of realization of the first phase is 2010-2012.
It was reported that Uzbekistan is implementing a project to transfer boilers of Novoangren thermanl power plant for coal-burning and a year-round construction of the eighth unit given technical coal mine Angren. The project will be implemented in three phases.
It is planned to transfer the first five units of the Novoangren thermal power plant for all-the-year-round coal-burning with the modernization of the section Angren within the first phase (2009-2011) with an estimated cost of the project in $213,7 million.
Modernization of coal mine Angren provides for the construction of three new and modernization of two existing conveyors with transfer to flow and cyclic-flow technology with a total capacity of 38 million cubic meters of overburden operations per year by late 2011.
Modernization of Angren will allow bringing the extraction of coal up to 6,4 million tons by 2012 from 3.2 million tons in 2009. It is planned to increase the supply of coal to Novoangren thermal power plant to ensure a year-round operation from 2.3 million tons to 4.2 million tons.
The first phase of the project will be financed by the credit loan of Chinese Eximbank to the amount of $113,8 million, the Uzbek Fund for Reconstruction and Development's credit - amounting to $52,7 million and Uzbekenergo's funds.
The Chinese loan will be used to modernize coal mine Angren.
It was reported that in early May this year, Chinese Sino Coal International Engineering has signed a contract with JSC Uzbekugol to modernize coal mine Angren in the Tashkent region worth $120.4 million.
Installed capacity of Novo Angren thermal power station is 2.100 megawatts. The first unit was commissioned in 1985, the last, the seventh - in 2000. The power plant supplies major industrial facilities and population of Tashkent region with electricity.
Electricity production in Uzbekistan decreased by 0,3 percent in 2009 compared to up to 49.954 billion kWh in 2008.
There are 42 power plants with total capacity of 12.358 megawatts in the power system of Uzbekistan.
The total capacity of 16 power stations of "Uzbekenergo" is 12.040 MW.
The Uzbek Fund for Reconstruction and Development was established in May 2006 by presidential decree. Its founders are the Ministry of Finance, as well as five largest commercial banks in the Republic - National Bank of Foreign Economic Activity of Uzbekistan, Asaka Bank, Uzpromstroybank, Agrobank and Mortgage Bank. The authorized capital stock is formed to the amount of $4,7 billion.