Ilham Aliyev attends groundbreaking ceremony for two plants in Sumgayit
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the Azersulfat LLC sulfuric acid production plant and Glassica CJSC glass container production plant and inaugurated the Azerfloat CJSC thermoforming sheet glass plant at the Sumgayit Chemical Industry Park.
Industrialization and the non-oil industry’s development are among the key directions of President Ilham Aliyev’s policy towards economic diversification. In this regard, along with other sectors of the economy, special attention is being paid to the development of the industry. Systematic measures are taken to attract existing natural and economic resources to production and broader application of advanced technologies.
Following the policy of industrialization, hundreds of modern industrial enterprises and new production facilities are being set up in Azerbaijan. The share of local products in meeting the domestic demand is significantly increasing, and export opportunities are expanding.
At present, the development of the industry through the introduction of innovative models represents particular importance. Advanced mechanisms such as industrial parks and agricultural parks and estates aligned with global challenges open up extensive new opportunities for expanding the production of export-oriented goods, further reducing the dependence on oil and gas, developing competitive industries based on innovative technologies, and increasing employment opportunities.
The plant’s investment cost to be built under the “production of sulfuric acid” project of Azersulfat LLC is $6 million. The plant is expected to produce 20,000 tons of acid a year. The plant, which will start operating at the end of this year, will create more than 30 jobs.
The head of state laid the foundation of the enterprise.
It was noted that 5,000-10,000 tons of sulfuric acid were imported to Azerbaijan annually in the last three years alone, and the launch of this plant will help to replace imports with local production. The sulfuric acid will also be exported to Georgia and Russia at further stages.
One of the residents of the Sumgayit Chemical Industry Park is Glassica Closed Joint-Stock Company. The company will build a plant for the production of glass containers here. The company’s products will be used mainly for packaging in the food sector. The $12 million enterprises will provide 160 permanent jobs.
President Ilham Aliyev laid the foundation of the plant.
The head of state was informed that the demand for colored bottles in Azerbaijan’s domestic market varies between 45-50 million units. The plant is expected to produce 60-90 million units of various colored glass containers. In other words, the domestic market needs will be fully met, and export prospects will emerge.
The sheet glass plant of Azerfloat CJSC is the first enterprise in Azerbaijan to produce thermoformed glass.
The plant with a total investment value of 100 million euros will produce 80,000 tons of various types of sheet glass per year. The enterprise’s design and equipment are provided by HORN Glass Industries AG, a German company with 135 years of experience in the field of glass melting technology. The company also uses Italian, Finnish and Chinese technologies.
The head of state launched the plant.
It was noted that the current demand for sheet glass in the country is met entirely by imported products. Sheet glass is produced in transparent or colored forms and small and large sizes. At present, more than 90 percent of sheet glass in the world – high-quality colored and colorless (transparent), as well as optically pure glass – is produced entirely by thermoforming technology. The most state-of-the-art technologies are already used in this field in Azerbaijan.