Uzbekistan, Tashkent, May 26 / Trend D. Azizov /
"Uzbekugol" company will complete the first phase of modernization of the Angren open-pit coal mine (Tashkent region) till late 2012, Uzbekugol Deputy General Director Anarbai Miradylov has recently said at a press conference.
"The project implementation is postponed for this year for technical reasons," he said. The project will be completed by late 2012."
Modernization of the Angren open-pit coal mine is part of the project "Transferring power units No 1-5 of New Angren thermoelectric power station for year-round coal-combustion (1st stage) with the modernization of the "Angren" section, which was initiated in 2010.
The cost of the first phase of the Angren open-pit coal mine modernization is $162.3 million.
It is financed by Uzbekenergo's coal industry development fund to the amount of $26.6 million, the credit of the Uzbek Reconstruction and Development Fund - $21.8 million and the Chinese Eximbank's loan - $113.8 million.
General contractor for Angren section modernization is China Coal Energy.
As a result of implementing the first phase of the project, coal production at the Angren section will be increased from 3.2 million tons to 4.6 million tons to deliver coal to the Novo-Angren coal thermal power plant to the amount of 3.9 million tons per year.
At present, "Uzbekugol" works over the second stage of Angren section modernization worth $146 million. Its term of implementation is 2013-2015. Coal production in this section is projected to reach 6.4 million tons per year, and the supply to the power station - up to 4.4 million tons.
The project envisages an increase of overburden operations by 25.1 million cubic meters - up to 42.6 million cubic meters a year.
Transferring existing power units of New Angren thermoelectric power station for year-round coal-combustion from the "Angren" section will ensure electricity generation in the volume of 7.02 billion kWh / year and release natural gas in the volume of 713.5 million cubic meters.
The share of coal will increase from 3.9 percent to 11-12 percent in the Uzbek energy balance in 2016.
Angren brown coal deposit is the largest one in Uzbekistan.
Every year "Uzbekugol" extracts about 3.8 million tons of coal. Uzbekenergo's enterprises - thermal power plants using solid fuel are the main consumer. More than 85 percent of the total coal consumption in the country falls to them.
According to "Uzbekugol", currently known coal reserves in Uzbekistan hit 1.832 billion tons, including brown - 1.786 billion tons, coal - 46.3 million tons.
Coal is extracted at three fields Angren brown coal, Shargun and Baisun coal deposits.