Yayo Fertilizer Factory well in Progress

The construction of Yayo I Urea Fertilizer Factory is well in progress, project manager says. The Factory would produce 300 thousand tons of urea fertilizer at completion at the end of 2006 E.C. (mid 2014).

The Yayo I Urea Fertilizer Factory is being planted in Yayo district, Ilu Ababora Zone of the Oromia Regional State on an area of 54 thousand square meters.

Activities are underway to construct two urea and one DAP fertilizer factories in the district which is rich in coal.

Chinese Company that had been undertaking a study to plant the factory had asked $720 million. However, the Metal and Engineering Corporation has revised the study and signed a contract with the Ministry of Industry and Privatization & Public Enterprises Supervising Agency to undertake the construction of the factory at a cost of $540 million.

So far, 1.9 million cubic meter of soil excavation work has been carried out preparing machinery planting for six basic machineries of the factory.

Project Manager Engineer Gebremedhin Sibhat says over 80 percent of the civil work has been concluded, while the design work is completed over 90 percent. The thermal power plant unit which is the huge unit of the planting is on progress, he said.

The Factory is expected to create job opportunity for 35 thousand people at completion. According to the Manager, the dry byproduct of the factory would be used to produce coble stone and other construction materials.

He commended the support of the local community for the planting of the factory which he said has helped in speeding up the construction.

Visiting Industry Affairs Standing Committee of the House of People’s Representatives said the project which is the first of its kind in Ethiopia offers immense technology transfer capacity.

Additional Urea and DAP fertilizer factories are expected to be planted in Yayo in the Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP) period.

Construction of bio fertilizer factories in various regions of the country including the single and triple phosphate fertilizer factories in Bale Melka Arba are also expected in the GTP period.Projects of fertilizer factories are among the nation’s mega projects of the GTP along with the Grand Renaissance Dam, sugar factories and railway projects, among others.

Source:- Ethiopia radio and teleision