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May 18, 2015 - Awash Melkasa
Aluminum Sulphate & Sulfuric Acid S.C. will begin production of hydrogen
peroxide, a major input in the textile industry, by the end of June, 2015 at
a plant it established at a cost of 234 million Br.The factory is located on
9,000sqm at Awash Melkasa, around 107Km from Addis Abeba. The state-owned
company currently produces around 13,000tn of aluminum sulphate and 17,000tn
of sulfuric acid annually, which are used in the production of leather, car
batteries, cotton, and for water treatment.In the 2013/14 fiscal year, the
company generated revenue of around 80 million Br, which was followed with a
plan for 100 million Br for 2014/15.The company signed a turnkey contract
with Nuberg Engineering Limited for the construction of the hydrogen
peroxide manufacturing plant, which will have a production capacity of
4,500tn annually. The project is based on findings of a feasibility study
conducted by Industrial Project Services, which is under the Privatization &
Public Enterprises Supervising Agency (PPESA). Construction started in
August 2013.Nuberg Engineering Limited, established in 1996, is an Indian
maker of manufacturing equipment for various chemical plants, according to
its website.Currently, Awash Melkasa’s plant is going through a
pre-commissioning process, said Admassu Kabeto, the company’s CEO. On the
first of June, it will start the commissioning process, which will take
about one month, followed by the completion of the project, he added.The
demand for hydrogen peroxide in Ethiopia can reach up to 900tn annually on
average, according to the study by Industrial Project Service. In the 2014
fiscal year, around 678tn of hydrogen peroxide, worth 908,258 dollars, was
imported into the country, according to the Ethiopian Revenues & Customs
Authority.Awassa Textile, which is owned by Dukem Textile Plc, uses imported
hydrogen peroxide for bleaching cotton. The textile factory, established in
1989, had been under state ownership but in 2011, the ownership was
transferred to Dukem Textile Plc at a cost of 37 million Br. The company
uses 400Kg of hydrogen peroxide monthly at a cost of 7,600Br to produce four
tonnes of textile on a daily basis, said Tariku Assefa, purchasing head of
Awassa Textile S.C.There are 130 medium and large scale textile factories in
Ethiopia, of which 37 are owned by foreign investors. For the first Growth &
Transformation Plan (GTP) period, the government has earned around 427
million dollars from the textile export trade, less than half the one
billion dollars it had planned.In addition to use in the textile industry,
hydrogen peroxide can also be used in the production of pulp, paper, milk
treatment and cosmetics.In the international market hydrogen peroxide is
sold for around 20 Br per kilogram. Admassu says their company will break
into the market with a price of 14Br a kilogram.
February 14, 2012 -
The Awash Melkasa Aluminum Sulfate and Sulfuric Acid Factory announced plans
to establish a hydrogen peroxide factory in Ethiopia. The hydrogen peroxide
factory, which will begin construction soon will cost an estimated 155
million birr according to Admasu Tabaeto, Production and Technical Support
Process Owner with Awash Melkasa.
The factory is expected to have the capacity to produce 13,600 metric
tons of aluminum sulfate and 17,000 metric tons of sulfuric acid he said.
Awash Melkasa has been struggling with financial loss for several
years because it has been unable to access the market explained Admasu.
The factory has acquired better access to potential markets and is
now geared towards selling its products to the domestic market and for
export to Sudan Admasu said. It is no longer operating at a loss due to its
ability to access markets he noted.
The chemicals produced by the Awash Melkasa factory are primarily
used in the manufacture of textile products.
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