DUSHANBE, May 2, Asia-Plus — On May 1, President Emomali Rahmon visited Khatlon’s Yovon district.
The aim of his visit was to get acquainted with a progress of rehabilitation of the Yovon heat and power plant and work of joint-stock company (JSC) Tajikkhimprom (Yovon chemical plant).
The first stage of rehabilitation of the Yovon heat and power plant has been completed and the test run of the plant’s two units working on fuel oil was launched in the presence of the president yesterday.
President Rahmon noted that measures should be taken to ensure regular work of the Yovon heat and power station beginning on October 1 in order to provide the local population with heat and hot water during aurmn-winter 2008-09 and Tajik Aluminum Company (TALCO, formerly Tajik Aluminum Plant or TadAZ) with electrical power.
The president charged TALCO’s administrators jointly with Chinese partners to introduce two other units working on coal into operation and thereby increase the plant’s capacity to 300 megawatt.
Yesterday, representatives from TALCO and partners from Australia, China and Kazakhstan also presented a project for rehabilitation of Tajikkhimprom and construction of a number of new industrial enterprises in Yovon.
During the presentation, it was noted that some $2.5 billion are needed to rehabilitate Tajikkhimprom’s workshops for production of cement and alumina and construction of new enterprises. The project will enable the Yovon chemical plant to increase the volume of production of caustic soda that will allow not only meeting TALCO’s requirements in caustic soda but also exporting it to other countries.
During a meeting with chemical plant’s staffers, the president noted that with implementation of the project, 15,000-20,000 new jobs will be created in the district and rehabilitated two workshops of TALCO will be reintroduced into operation and production of aluminum and chemical products will increase considerably.
Representatives of TALCO noted that the company currently spends some $100 million for transportation of alumina from other countries alone. The project will assist to arrange production of aluminum in the country from domestic raw materials.
The head of state noted that work on complete restoration of activity of Tajikkhimprom, increase of capacity of the Yovon heat and power plant, launch of enterprises on producing alumina and caustic soda, as well as construction the railway Dushanbe-Yovon and the Shurob power plant should be carried out promptly.
The president also took part in reintroduction into operation of Tajikkhimprom’s electrolysis workshop, rehabilitated with assistance of Iranian specialists. The workshop jointly with Iranian partners will produce chorine, caustic soda and other chemical products and some 4,500-5,000 people will be placed in jobs.
During his visit to Yovon, Rahmon also familiarized himself with construction of textile mill, which is being constructed by HIMA in cooperation with Italian TEXITA.
The HIMA top manager Ismatullo Hayoyev noted that construction of the mill’s spinning factory is scheduled to be finished by the end of this year. The spinning factory will have capacity of processing up to 4,000 tons of cotton fiber per year and it will create 200 new jobs, according to him.
Construction of the weaving factory will start in January and after that, construction of the textile factory will be launched, Hayoyev said, adding that the whole enterprise will be put into operation in 2010. It will provide with jobs some 1,000 people.
