On August 21, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, participated in the opening of the honey, bees, and beekeeping products store “Balland-Kelbajar.” The Head of State also laid the foundation of the Kelbajar City Park. On the same day, President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva took part in the foundation-laying ceremony for the fourth residential complex in Kelbajar. They also reviewed the progress of works on the Toganali-Kelbajar-Istisu highway.
According to AZERTAC, yesterday the Head of State conducted the technical opening of the Murovdag Tunnel, built at the 13.5-kilometer mark of this road and stretching 11.7 kilometers. This represents another important step in the development of Azerbaijan’s non-oil industry. In the city of Ganja, LLC “Azerbasalt” has begun construction of a basalt products factory. At the initial stage, the enterprise will produce basalt powder and organic fertilizers based on it.
According to AZERTAC’s regional correspondent, the project will be implemented in two phases. The investment cost of the first phase amounts to 27 million manats. The share of the Azerbaijan Entrepreneurship Development Fund, subordinate to the Ministry of Economy, in the project is 30 percent.
At the factory, which covers a total area of 4 hectares, it is planned to produce 360,000 tons of organic fertilizers per year. At this stage, the project is expected to provide permanent jobs for 200 people.
The main raw material for the enterprise, which will be established based on Swedish and Turkish technologies, will be high-quality basalt extracted from the “Chaykend” deposit in the Goygol district.
The second phase of the project envisions the production of high-tech basalt-based products—basalt fiber, filament (raw material for 3D printers), and other industrial materials. Implementation of this phase will create an additional 300 jobs. The products will be sold both on the domestic and international markets.
Basalt products are considered an environmentally friendly, durable, and multifunctional material for agriculture and industry. Volcanic basalt powder restores the nutrient balance of soil, increases crop yields, and at the same time prevents waterbody acidification. Basalt fibers are heat- and corrosion-resistant, eco-friendly, and are widely used in the defense industry, aviation, automotive engineering, and construction.
