Kungrad Soda Plant expanding its capacity to 1.5 K tonnes per year

During 2013-2014, the State Joint Stock Company Uzkhimprom and China's Citic Pacific Ltd. is undertaking a project to  increase the current capacity of the Kungrad Soda Plant in northern Karakalpakstan to 150,000 tons of soda ash per year. The  two companies signed a memorandum of cooperation in 2012, which envisages increasing the plants capacity by 1.5 times - up to 150 KTa of soda ash by 2015. Specialists from Citic Pacific and from the design institute "Uzkhimesanoatloyiha" a division of Uzkhimprom feasibility estimate that the cost of the expansion  will be in the order of USD 50 million. The project financing is via a loan from China Exim Bank and the Uzbek companies funds. The first stage of the expansion which doubled production to 100 KTa of soda ash was commissioned in August 2006 at a total project cost of USD 100 million. Source: http://www.mrcplast.com/news-news_open-144166.html and http://en.trend.az/capital/business/1935684.html