ULAN BATOR, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia's first silicon extraction and processing plant was launched in the southeastern province of Dornogovi, the government said Monday.

According to the Ministry of Mining and Heavy Industry, the factory, constructed by Japan's Megatech Corporation subsidiary in the landlocked Asian country is expected to have a capacity of processing 200 to 400 tons of silicon per month.

"We are planning to export the silicon to Japan, China and South Korea," said the company's president Shigeru Nagao. He added that the company planned to raise production capacity in the near future.

Silicon is a hard and brittle crystalline solid with a blue-grey metallic luster. It is the main material used in semiconductors.