(Trend) -- Uzbekistan will attract China's Citic Pacific Ltd. to expand capacity of Kungrad Soda Plant, a source in the Uzbek government told Trend on Friday. According to the source, the State Joint-Stock Company Uzkhimprom and Chinese company signed a memorandum of cooperation, which envisages implementation of a project to increase plant capacity by 1.5 times - up to 150 KTa of soda ash by 2015. The contract between CITIC and Uzkhimprom is expected to be signed in the first half of 2012.
At present, the Chinese company and specialists from the design institute "Uzkhimesanoatloyiha", which is included in Uzkhimprom, is developing the preliminary feasibility study at an initial cost USD 50 million, the source said. The project financing is envisaged via a loan from China Exim Bank and the Uzbek side's funds.
Kungrad soda plant, with a current design capacity of 100 KTa of soda ash, was commissioned in August 2006 by China's Citic Pacific Ltd. and Uzkhimprom. The total project cost was USD 100 million.