OREANDA-NEWS. May 06, 2011. Prime Minister of Belarus Mikhail Myasnikovich put a time capsule into the foundation of the future plant that will manufacture NPK fertilizers in Soligorsk.

While at the construction site Mikhail Myasnikovich said that the future cutting-edge enterprise will manufacture new competitive products that will be in demand on foreign markets. “It is a brand new solution in the area of chemical fertilizers manufacturing,” said Mikhail Myasnikovich.

A new plant to produce macronutrient fertilizers (of the total capacity of 240,000 tonnes) will be constructed at the Belaruskali industrial site by December 2012, Belaruskali acting director general Valery Kiriyenko said.

“The project has been in the pipeline since 2009. We needed to diversify production and launch an output of compound potash fertilizers. One of the projects was implemented in February this year,” Valery Kiriyenko said. He explained that in February 2011 there was launched a manufacturing line for NPK-fertilizers made by dry blending (total capacity of 100,000 tonnes per year).

The new project envisages application of other technologies putting all nutrients into one fertilizer pellet.

The production of nitrogen-phosphor-potash fertilizers is a logic continuation of the Belaruskali technological chain that secure products diversification.

The technology is the following: finished commodity components (ammophos, carbomide, ammonium nitrate, sulfate or ammonium chloride, potassium chloride) are crushed and mixed in proper proportions. The mixture is then sprayed with water, steamed and granulated. After that granules are dried in the drying drum and separated.

The new technology makes it possible to quickly change the composition of the product, add micronutrients and other substances and is generally a non-waste production technology.

Complex NPK-fertilizers are expected to be sold domestically and internationally.

The project is estimated at Br108.7 billion. The source of financing will be equity funds of the company.

During a visit to Belaruskali the Prime Minister of Belarus got familiar with the operation of Belaruskali company in the past five-year term and in 2011. He was also informed about prospects of the company’s development in 2011-2015 and till 2020.

Belaruskali plans to increase its production capacities up to 11 million tonnes a year by 2015, Belaruskali’s acting general director Valery Kiriyenko said.

“We know that our annual output will stand at 11 million tonnes by 2014-2015. We have all the necessary facilities for it,” he said.

The company also plans to expand its export potential, upgrade the facilities, reduce energy intensity of the output, and construct facilities to manufacture new types of products.

The company is fulfilling its 2012 development program. In the previous five-year term the company raised Br4.5 trillion of capital investments, which increased the annual output up to 8.8 million tonnes.

Belaruskali also completed the construction of the first production line at the Krasnoslobodsky mine. Additional facilities to produced granular potash fertilizers. Apart from that, the company also set up a facility to manufacture enriched potash fertilizers based on energy saving technologies.

The company is also constructing the second and third production lines at the Krasnoslobodsky mine and tapping the Berezovsky mine. The company’s experts are also probing another site – the Darasinsky mine.

In order to diversify the output, Belaruskali in cooperation with the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus plan to set up a chemical complex for the advanced processing of chlorine-containing raw materials. The complex is scheduled to be put on stream in 2012.

Speaking about the visit, the Prime Minister of Belarus said that two innovation projects had been launched: the production of NPK fertilizers and deep processing of chlorine-containing mineral raw materials.

According to Mikhail Myasnikovich, the first project will manufacture complex compound fertilizers that will combine nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in addition to vital microelements. The content of these fertilizers can be tuned for individual crops.

Although these technologies are not absolutely new for the world, but brand new innovations will be introduced to reduce costs and secure the competitive ability of the end product, said the Prime Minister.

A new factory will be built in Soligorsk for deep processing of chloride-containing raw materials. Prime Minister of Belarus Mikhail Myasnikovich was informed about the implementation of the investment project during his working visit to the Belaruskali.

“I think it will be possible to start building the chemical factory in a month or a month and a half. Its first startup complex will be able to manufacture alkali, chloride, hydrogen and other chemical products the national economy needs,” said Mikhail Myasnikovich.

According to Mikhail Myasnikovich, the construction of the second startup complex of the chemical factory provides for starting the production of polyvinylchloride. “We will be able to use our own raw materials to manufacture highly-competitive products using membrane plants and complicated chemical technologies,” said the Prime Minister.

Explaining his heightened interest in Belaruskali’s projects, Mikhail Myasnikovich said: “These projects have been born in the National Academy of Sciences. We have polished the technologies using test plants. These projects are totally national legacy from the idea to end products”.

“If all Belarusian companies developed like that, our diversification of products and the manufacturing of new innovative products would be much better,” said the Belarusian head of Government.

Prime Minister of Belarus Mikhail Myasnikovich also told reporters that the Government of Belarus is planning to adopt an innovation development program for 2011-2015 in May.

“In May we will adopt a program of innovation development of the country for the next five years,” Mikhail Myasnikovich said.

According to him, in 2011-2015 Belarus will implement about 220 projects of the first level (these are fundamentally new industries and enterprises). In total, the draft program envisages the implementation of about 1,400 new innovation projects.

“Now it is difficult to talk about the absolute funding of this program. But I note that state has no plans to save money on the innovative development. Therefore, the financing of the innovation program will not be cut because new technologies mean the future, new markets and, most importantly, foreign currency earnings, which the country needs so badly today,” the head of Government said.