Displaying items by tag: Afghanistan

Afghanistan: The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum has awarded three new contracts for the construction of cement plants in Herat, Kandahar and Parwan. Xinhua News Agency has reported the total value of the contracts as US$500m.

The government aims to achieve national self-sufficiency in cement production by rebuilding destroyed cement plants and building new ones. Plans are in motion to grant further contracts for the construction of cement plants in Jawzjan, Logar and Samangan.

Afghanistan: The government says that contracts worth US$450m have been concluded for the expansion of three Afghan cement plants to 1.5Mt/yr capacity each. Local companies will carry out the expansions, at the Injil cement plant in Herat and the Shur Andam cement plant in Kandahar, while a Qatar-based company will carry out the Jabal Saraj cement plant in Parwan. TRT World News has reported that the Afghan Ministry of Mines and Petroleum expects Afghanistan to become self-sufficient for cement after the new capacity joins existing capacity at the Jabal Saraj cement plant and the Ghori cement plant in Baghlan. These two plants reportedly produce 330,000t/yr of cement, less than 10% of domestic demand.

Afghanistan: Qatar-based Al-Falah Global and International Task Group has won a government contract to expand Jabal Siraj cement plant. Local engineering firm Awfi Bahram will also collaborate on the project. BBC Monitoring South Asia has reported that the work will increase the plant’s capacity by a factor of 50 to 1.5Mt/yr from 30,000t/yr. The total cost of the project is US$220m.

Pakistan: Cement producers in Northern Pakistan have reported a 13% drop in the price of coal to US$126/t. The Pakistan Today newspaper has reported that this is due to the Afghan government lowering taxes on exports of coal from Afghanistan. The Taliban reduced its royalties on coal exports by 12% to US$30/t. Meanwhile, it reduced customs duties on coal exports by 33%, also to US$30/t.

Northern Pakistan is comprised of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. In 2022, regional cement plants were over 70% reliant on Afghan coal. That year, they paid coal prices of US$170 – 200/t.

Afghanistan: The government of Afghanistan claims that five new cement plants will imminently commence construction across five Afghan provinces. Acting Mines and Petroleum Minister Shahabuddin Delawar said that plants are planned in Herat, Jawzjan, Kandahar, Logar and Parwan Provinces. When operational, the plants should make Afghanistan self-sufficient in its cement supply.

Afghanistan: Jabal Saraj Cement has more than tripled its production of cement at the Jabal al-Saraj cement plant to 70t/day from 20t/day. Salam Watandar Online News has reported that the company has asked the government to expand the Jabal al-Sarraj plant's capacity to 3500t/day, to better realise the potential of local raw materials and labour.

Afghanistan: State-owned Jabal al-Saraj Cement has served eviction notices to 40 families living in company accommodation. Hasht e Subh News has reported that the occupants are the families of former Jabal al-Saraj Cement employees who worked at the company’s cement plant for a minimum of 30 years, as per a pre-existing agreement between the cement producer and employees.

Cement production at the Jabal al-Saraj cement plant has been suspended since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in mid-2021.

Afghanistan: The government's Ministry of Mines and Petroleum has awarded a contract for the construction of the 1Mt/yr Shur Andam cement plant in Kandahar Province. TOLO News has reported that planned investments in the project totaled US$100m. The government said that construction will commence before April 2024. Production will begin at a 'low level,' and in the longer term the government expects to employ 5000 people at the site.

Afghanistan: The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum says that it will 'soon' award contracts to carry out planned expansions of the Jabal Siraj and Samangan cement plants. Together, the projects will increase both plants' cement capacity to 1.21Mt/yr. Local press has reported that the Jabal Siraj plant project will cost US$170m and the Samangan plant project will cost US$136m.

Afghanistan: The government's Mines and Petroleum Ministry has awarded a contract for construction of a new 1Mt/yr cement plant in Kandahar Province. Bakhtar News Agency has reported that the project will have a budget of US$100m.