Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Oct. 6 /Trend, D.Azizov/
Uzbek-Korean Uz-Kor Silicon joint venture will launch the production of silicon in the Navoi region by the end of the year, the acting chairman of the State Committee for Geology and Mineral Resources (Goskomgeo Uzbekistan) Ilkhom Turamuradov told reporters onThursday at an international conference Uzgeoinvest -2011, held in Tashkent.
According to him, the joint venture completes the construction of processing plant for silicon production with a capacity of 12,000 tons per year on the territory of Uzbek-Panamanian joint venture "Elektrohimzavod" (the city of Navoi).
According to Goskomgeo, the construction of the factory worth $25 million is the first phase of the project for the production of polysilicon with an estimated value of about $420 million.
In the second phase (2012-2016), the joint venture intends to construct a polysilicon production plant with a capacity of 5,000 tons per year.
The project is financed at the expense of founders of the joint venture, loan from the Reconstruction and Development Fund of Uzbekistan, as well as foreign loans.
Reserves of all kinds of proven minerals resources are estimated at $1.3 trillion, and total minerals resource potential of the country - more than $10.3 trillion.