Bashkortostan to help build soda ash plant in Belarus
MINSK. June 15 (Interfax) - Bashkortostan will support a project to build a soda ash plant in Belarus, Belarusian Prime Minister Mikhail Myasnikovich told the press in Minsk Thursday after meeting with Bashkir President Rustem Khamitov.
"There is an opportunity to build a plant with 300,000 tonne annual capacity with the potential to reach 600,000 tonne capacity, to cover the demands of the European region. This area is completely new to us. We are pleased that our colleagues from Bashkortostan have agreed, even at the initial phase of the project, to provide engineering support, so the project does not go off track," he said. "Belarus has the investment [for this project]," Myasnikovich said.
Belarus and CNEEC in February 2011 signed an investment agreement on construction of a soda ash plant. Construction will be funded by the Export-Import Bank of China. The plant will be located in Mozyr district and is expected to cost around $800 million.
Belarus and Bashkortostan agreed to set up joint holding companies in the chemicals, glass and machine tool industries, the Belarusian PM said. "We covered very interesting projects that may be implemented in the next 3-5 years and the more distant future," Myasnikovich said.
Belarus and Bashkortostan also agreed on cooperation in agriculture. Myasnikovich said they had talked about agricultural machinery and seed development. "In the next year or two, seed plants will be built in Bashkortostan that will provide quality seeds to the republic's domestic market and enable exports," he said. They also talked about coordinating work in milk production.