A large storage and blending base will be built at the border crossing of Yi-Erke-stancel in the western part of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, for coal imported from neighboring Kyrgyzstan, local media reported.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> The project, located in Wuqia County, Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture, will have an annual throughput of 10 million tonnes, with total investment up to 1.15 billion yuan ($18.67 million), the Xinjiang Daily reported on August 13.<br /> <br /> Experts at a feasibility appraisal meeting on August 10 suggested local governments to approve the project and include it into the 13th Five-Year Plan for Xinjiang’s coal industry development.<br /> <br /> The first phase project, with investment estimated nearly 690 million yuan, is expected to kick off construction early next year. It will take two years or so to finish.<br /> <br /> It will be used to store coal imported from two mines in Kyrgyzstan, owned by Xinjiang Zhongyuan Petroleum and Natural Gas Group Co., Ltd., which will be responsible for its construction.<br /> <br /> The company owns six large and medium-sized mines in Kyrgyzstan, most of which are located no more than 200 km to the Yi-Erke-stancel border crossing. Total designed production capacity of these mines exceed 10 million tonnes per annum, one senior company official said in late May this year.<br /> <br /> The imported coal will mainly supply Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture, Kashi and Heitan Prefectures in southern Xinjiang, where coal demand is projected to 14.8 million tonnes by 2015, mainly due to the development of industrial bases.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> Southern Xinjiang has rather limited coal resources, with proven reserves accounting for only 0.06% of Xinjiang’s total. Presently, it produces 11 million tonnes of coal each year, mainly from Aksu Prefecture and Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture.<br /> <br /> <p> Xinjiang is rich in coal resources, with estimate reserves of 2.19 trillion tonnes, but most of which are distributed in its northern part, and transport cost to the south is very high due to long distance.&nbsp; </p> <p style="text-align:center;"> <img src="/upfiles/news/image/20140815/20140815105304_7956.jpg" alt="" /> </p>