2000-01-17 Kazak Corporate News - ShNOS
Article Index
ShNOS
In 1999 ShNOS processed 3.3 million tonnes of crude, said the technical director of the company, Victor Pak, at a meeting with the Minister of Energy, Industry and Trade, Vladimir Shkolnik. In 1998 the company processed 3.7 million tonnes of crude, while its installed capacity is 6 million tonnes per annum. During the meeting the Minister expressed his concern over the high prices of gasoline. He said the prices should be changed by increasing the volume of processed crude. If prices are not lowered “we will never break the eternal circle where farmers cannot increase output because of high fuel prices and refineries cannot increase output because of the low purchasing power of its customers,” the minister said. (Interfax)
Metals & Mining
The Ekibastuz-based ferro-silicon-aluminium alloy producer Karakas Ltd. has launched a second furnace with the capacity to turn out 2,500 tonnes of metal per year, the Panorama newspaper reported. After the modernisation of its facilities is complete, Karakas will produce 3,000 tonnes of alloy per year.
Karakas is the only plant in the CIS that produced ferro-silicon-aluminium using coal wastes, an abundant commodity in the coal-mining city of Ekibastuz. The enterprise’s main customers are JSC Ispat-Karmet and JSC KazakhTractor.
The cost of the alloys produced by Karakas’ technology is USD 650 per tonne, while similar alloys from Russia cost USD 880 per tonne. An increase in the plant’s capacity will also assist in resolving the coal waste utilisation problem at the Ekibastuz coal pits. (Golden Eagle Partners)