Displaying items by tag: GCW382

Pakistan: GE says it has delivered a turnkey power grid to DG Khan Cement’s Hub plant in Baluchistan. The grid includes a 132/6.3kV gas-insulated switchgear (GIS), 40MVA power transformers and other related auxiliary equipment. The power solution also includes an extension at K-Electric’s Hub Chowki grid station with a 132kV AIS bay connecting it to the DG Khan Cement grid station. GE also supplied engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of the 132/6.3kV grid station.

“As one of the largest cement producers in Pakistan, our aim is to create a facility for the future, not only to meet local demand but also to serve the international market. To support these efforts, we needed a field-proven stable and reliable grid solution and therefore after thorough evaluation we selected GE’s solutions. Given GE’s experience spanning across a wide range of industries and applications, we are pleased to work with the team on this critical project,” said Arif Bashir, Director (Tech & Ops) at DG Khan Cement.

DG Khan Cement officially opened the Hub plant in July 2018. The unit has a cement production capacity of 2.8Mt/yr.

US: LafargeHolcim has received American Petroleum Institute (API) certification to produce oil well cement at its Holcim Theodore plant in Alabama plant. It says it is one of only four cement plants in the country with an API 10A Monogram and Q1 Quality Management System. Production of Class A oil well cement will start immediately at the site and the company plans to add Class H production in the future.

In order to earn the certification, LafargeHolcim spent more than a year in a process of investing in additional testing equipment, developing a quality management system, conducting internal audits and passing an audit by the API. Oil well cement is designed to meet demanding requirements. It is continuously tested for chemistry, thickening time, fluid loss, free fluid, rheology and compressive strength.

Production at the company’s Theodore plant will complement LafargeHolcim’s ability to maintain a consistent supply of oil well cement to customers in the Gulf region and beyond. The company also produces API A and H well cements at its Joppa cement plant in Illinois.

Russia: Eurocement has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Dry Building Mixes Manufacturers Union about using white cement. The deal was signed by Jaroslav Stoupa, the president of production and technical development at Eurocement, and Roman Borisov, the head of the Dry Building Mixes Manufacturers Union, at a trade conference in Moscow. The agreement connects the producers and users of white cement and it allows for the technical exchange of data about the product’s market requirements. It follows Eurocement’s plans to develop a white cement production line at its Zhigulovskiye Stroymaterialy plant in Samara in mid-2019.

Denmark: Dankalk is upgrading the lime hydrator at its Aggersund plant. A new KLV 02/630-4.0 type lime hydrator is being supplied by Germany’s Gebr. Pfeiffer. It is being replaced from a previous Gebr. Pfeiffer model installed in the 1980s due to tighter emission limits. Commissioning of the new lime hydrator is scheduled for mid-2019.

Oman: Four French investors and technology suppliers, including Fives and Suez, have created a syndicate to develop business opportunities in the Special Economic Zone Authority of Duqm. The other partners are CMA CGM and EDF Renewables. The companies intend to assess various investment options in the area and develop them. In particular, the syndicate has an interest in a ‘global approach to cement factory ecosystems’ and related facilities including transport facilities, a solar power generation plant and the production of alternative fuels.

Saudi Arabia: Southern Cement’s sales revenue and profits have fallen so far in 2018 due to falling sales volumes and prices. Its revenue fell by 15% year-on-year to US$172m in the first nine months of 2018 from US$203m in the same period in 2017. Its net profit after Zakat and taxes decreased by 44% to US$38m from US$68.5m.

Iran: Cement exports rose by 7% year-on-year to 3.8Mt in the first seven months of the current local calendar year , which started on 21 March 2018. Abdul Reza Sheikhan, the secretary of the Cement Industry Association, added that clinker exports grew by 13.6% to 3.8Mt, according to ISNA. However international sanctions and increasing shipping costs have reduced exports in the most recent reporting month. Overall, clinker production by the local industry grew by 2.4% to 37.3Mt.

Niger: Nouvelle Cimenterie de Niger (NCN) is preparing to open a new plant at Malbaza in December 2018. Company officials told Prime Minister Brigi Rafini that construction the unit had been completed and that it was preparing to start production, according to Niamey et les 2 jours and the l’Agence Ecofin. The plant has a production capacity of 2000t/day and it is estimated that it will provide 80% of the country’s demand for cement. The unit has 347 employees. The project was originally started in mid-2011 but was construction halted.

French Guiana: Cementos Argos is supplying around 54,500t of cement for the Ariane 6 launch pad at the European Space Agency’s spaceport at Kourou. The Colombian cement producer is a strategic supplier for the project and it has been supporting Eiffage, the main contractor. The new launch pad is 90% complete and it is expected to be finished in 2019. The first launch is scheduled for 2020.

Cementos Argos is supplying three different types of cement for the project: a road binder, a soil stabiliser and a sulphate-resistant product. These will be used to build the launch platform, including a mobile base with a height of 90m, the assembly building for the rockets and other structural work.

Brazil: Votorantim’s construction materials joint venture has started operation. The scheme, Juntos Somos Mais, is collaboration between Votorantim Cimentos, Tigre Participações and Gerdau Aços Longos. Votorantim holds a 45% share of the scheme. The joint venture will expand Votorantim’s Juntos Somos + scheme, which has been running since 2014. To date it operates in over 40,000 stores with over 60,000 registered participants.