After the launch of the Dehkanabad Potash Plant – one of the largest chemical industry enterprise in our country – Uzbekistan became the 11th country in the world that produces nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. This fact is worth being proud of! It is also important that over the past decade, this company has not only achieved a steady growth rate, but has also become an example for other companies in increasing the production of import-substituting and export-oriented products.
Let’s look at specific figures. The plant exported potash fertilizers worth $ 300.0 million to more than 30 countries over the ten-year period of its operation. The company, which started operations in August 2010, has already sold more than 1.5 million tons of potassium chloride.
About half of the export volume is accounted for by the countries of South-East Asia. So, most recently, in June 2020, the Dehkanabad Potash Plant won a tender for export of 70,0 thousand tons of potash fertilizers to Indonesia. And today, we have already started actively working on the shipment of products.
As the demand for potassium chloride produced in Uzbekistan is growing abroad, the plant’s export geography is naturally expanding. Since the second quarter of this year, products have been exported to the markets of European countries – Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Georgia, as well as to the East – to Japan.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PLANT
Active construction of the Dehkanabad Potash Plant was started in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated December 17, 2007 #PP-748 “On Measures to Accelerate the Construction of the Dehkanabad Potash Plant”. The construction of processing complex of the plant was contracted to the Chinese company CITIC International Cooperation Co. Ltd., and construction of mining complex – to the Russian company “ZUMK-Engineering.”
The project cost of construction of the first stage of the plant of JSC “Dehkanabad Potash Plant” was $ 126.4 million (not including external infrastructure), of which $ 61.74 million were invested by Uzbekistan Fund for Reconstruction and Development, $ 41.7 million – by Eximbank (China), $ 22.96 million – by the Fund for Development and Support of Chemical Industry Enterprises.
According to the resolutions of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan #432-f dated July 6, 2011 “On the Establishment of the State Commission for the Launch of the Plant” and of October 27, 2011 #684-f “On Approval of Acts of the State Commission”, the Dehkanabad Potash Fertilizer Plant received the status of a unitary enterprise and officially began its operation thus creating 1,321 new jobs. In accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated November 17, 2011 #PP-1642, the production capacity of the JSC “Dehkanabad Potash Plant” is 400 thousand tons per year.
The second stage of the processing complex with the design cost of $ 116.3 million was built in cooperation with CITIC International Cooperation Co. Ltd. (China) and commissioned in 2015.
The unitary enterprise “Dehkanabad Potash Fertilizer Plant” in accordance with the decision of the JSC “Uzkimyosanoat” dated March 1, 2018 No.1 changed its ownership form and was transformed into a limited liability company “Dehkanabad Potash Plant” and on the basis of the decision of the single founder the LLC “Dehkanabad Potash Plant” was transformed into a joint-stock company.
The enterprise consists of mining and processing complexes, has a design capacity for extraction of 2.1 million tons of ore and production of 600.0 thousand tons of finished enriched potassium chloride. Currently, the construction of three major DPP facilities with a total cost of $ 122.3 million is underway – the expansion of the stage II of the mining complex, the creation of a lifting cable car and external high voltage power supply facilities OH-110 kV.
MINING COMPLEX
Construction of the mining complex of the JSC “Dehkanabad Potash Plant” began with the opening and preparation of the Tyubegatan potash salt deposit in 2008, and at first, the main contractor LLC ZUMK-Engineering opened the inclined shafts # 1 and 2, and prepared panels for implementation of ore mining operations. Thus, a panel production system was established at the Tyubegatan field. From April-May 2010, silvinite ore was extracted here.
Today, silvinite ore, which is considered the main raw material for production of potash fertilizers, is extracted at “Tepakuton potash and salt mine”, located 42 km away from the production complex. It should be noted that the DPP mining complex is a silvinite ore mine that was put into operation in the shortest possible time in the entire Central Asia.
The main production was carried out from the pilot panel using high-performance combines of “Ural-20R” and “Ural-10R” type. When extracting the extracted ore to the surface of the earth, belt conveyors such as KL-1000 and KLK-1000 are used.
In 2011, the pilot panel for ore extraction was upgraded and it was possible to operate at full capacity. In particular, the plan for full loading of the stage I was set at the level of 700 thousand tons per year, and in practice 742.5 thousand tons of silvinite ore were extracted. The results of the work on the discovery and preparation of the Tyubegatan field are presented in Table 1.
STABLE PRODUCTION RATES
Silvinite transported to the processing complex is enriched by flotation method. In general, the technological process includes the following stages: grinding, sorting, flotation, filtration of concentrate, drying, cooling and packaging of silvinite raw materials.
In 2010, the company produced 40.5 thousand tons of potassium chloride (21.5 billion soums), 2011 – 180.9 thousand tons (96.3 billion soums), 2012 – 203.7 thousand tons (116.0 billion soums), 2013 – 141.1 thousand tons (84.6 billion soums), 2014 – 149.8 thousand tons (95.5 billion soums), 2015 – 208.6 thousand tons (121.1 billion soums), 2016 – 178.5 thousand tons (96.108 billion soums), 2017 – 267.5 thousand tons (174.1 billion soums), 2018 – 304.3 thousand tons (346.3 billion soums), 2019 – 314.5 thousand tons (447.8 billion soums). This year, it is planned to increase this figure to 350 thousand tons.
Based on decrees of the head of our state to supply fertilizers to the agricultural sector, agreements were concluded on the supply of mineral fertilizers through commodity exchange to of the territorial divisions “Agrokimyokhimoya”, according to which the internal market is supplied with chloride potassium mineral fertilizer. In particular, the Republic’s consumers were supplied: in 2010 – 1.9 thousand tons, in 2011-18.6 thousand tons, in 2012-24.8 thousand tons, in 2013-37.9 thousand tons, in 2014-57.3 thousand tons, in 2015-65.7 thousand tons, in 2016-85.8 thousand tons, in 2017-33.6 thousand tons, in 2018. — 56.2 thousand tons, in 2019 – 41.04 thousand tons, in 2020 it is planned to supply 54 thousand tons of potassium chloride for production of agricultural products and other areas.
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