Displaying items by tag: Kyrgyzstan

The past few weeks have been notable for the high number of cement plant projects announced. Aside from further Dangote developments in Africa, (which doesn't seem to be able to go a week without announcing some 'milestone' or another,) a growing number have been in 'new' markets, especially in Central Asia.

The list from the past month or so is impressive. In east Asia Myanmar's Ait Thit Man group has announced that it will double its capacity from 5000t/day to 10,000t/day. In the south, Shree Cement wants to build another new facility in India. In west Asia, Pakistan, a country that has not seen significant cement capacity investment in the past few years, will be getting a new plant in Salt Range courtesy of China's Yantai Yantai Baoqiao Jinhong.

Turkmenistan looks set to build a 1Mt/yr plant as part of a massive government industrial stimulus package. China's Jilong Group wants to build a 0.8Mt/yr plant in Issyk Kul, Krygyzstan. Another Chinese producer, Xinjiang Tianshan will be bringing a 1.2Mt/yr plant to Georgia. Even today (Wednesday 30 September 2015), we have heard that there will be further Chinese investment, this time by Shangfeng Cement. It has announced financing for two new plants: in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Both are set to be 1.2Mt/yr facilities.

Two trends are clear from this. 1. Land-locked Central Asian and other relatively undeveloped countries elsewhere in Asia are finally coming to the cement plant party. 2. It is the Chinese producers that have the upper hand in these markets. This is based partly on cultural, political, geographical and historic links between China and these former Soviet nations. It is partly due to the lower 'face value' cost of Chinese equipment compared to European manufacturers. (The efficiency with which the lower cost equipment is installed and its running costs remain potential pitfalls, according to the Europeans.) Finally, it has a lot to do with the collapse of domestic demand for cement plants in China itself, where the economy continues to teeter on the brink.

The steady rise of the Central Asian cement sector and the increasing international activities of Chinese cement plant manufacturers have been 'on the cards' for years. To date, they have been trends waiting to happen, but 2015 looks to be the year that these factors finally combined and translated into large numbers of projects.

For Central Asian countries the prospects that come with a larger and more dynamic cement industry should enable greater independence, accelerated infrastructure development and economic growth. For the Chinese, setting up cement plants in Central Asia is a natural expansion of its multi-billion dollar activities in the African cement sector, where Sinoma recently signed a massive deal with Dangote Cement. As noted previously in this column, Africa can't continue to add capacity at the current rate forever.

For European manufacturers of cement plants, the other side of this story is not as pretty. AGAB, the large plant manufacturing group of Germany's Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau (VDMA), has recently released its Status Report 2014/2015, which reports on activities from 2014. AGAB members' cement plant order volume fell by an incredible 63% in 2014 to Euro198m. This is a fall from Euro529m in 2013 and six times lower than the Euro1.2bn peak of 2008. Some of this is domestically driven but the vast majority of it is export markets.

The same report also shows that, for construction of all types of large industrial plants, Chinese producers have increased their global market share from 5% in 2006 to 17% in 2014. Over the same period, Western European producers have seen their share fall from 45% to 33%, although an increase in overall project volumes mean that these producers received roughly the same value of orders in each year. US suppliers, although not a major consideration for the cement sector, saw their share of orders fall from 22% to 20%. Japan also lost a third of its stake over the same period, falling from 15% of sales in 2006 to just 10% in 2014.

While AGAB's report anticipates increased competition from Chinese producers, it is by no means all 'doom and gloom' for Europe's traditional large plant manufacturers. It highlights the fact that Russia, the largest single market for heavy plant in 2014 and a significant consumer of European-made cement equipment, has decided against Chinese equipment in some cases. It also highlighted that the weakness of the Euro helps exports from Germany and the rest of the Eurozone and suggests that the sector should look to increase its service and consultation offering in order to build on its existing reputation for high quality equipment.

Kyrgyzstan: Chinese cement producer Jinlong Group intends to invest US$65m towards building a 0.8Mt/yr single line cement plant in Issyk Kul province. It will operate as a subsidiary called Yatai Cement. US$15m will come from self-financing. The reminding US$50m will be funded through project financing. Approximately 400 workers will be hired to work at the new firm, which has a 30-year operation term, according to China Ciments.

Kyrgyzstan: Gansu Qilianshan Cement and 8th Metallurgical Corporation have signed a memo on the joint construction of a cement production line project in Osh, Kyrgyzstan with contractor JBK. The three parties plan to spend US$130m building the cement line. The Chinese and Kyrgyzstan sides hold 80% and 20% of the project respectively.

Kyrgyzstan: A ground-breaking ceremony was held on 29 August 2014 at the site of a new cement plant in Kemin, Chui Province, about 13km east of the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek. The plant, which is being constructed by Chinese investment, will cost around US$70m, according to Sun He, business counsellor with the Chinese Embassy in Kyrgyzstan.

Kyrgyz first vice prime minister Tayirbek Sarpashev said that he was confident that the cement plant would bring more jobs to Kemin and bring about tax revenues of between US$10m and US$15m each year upon completion.

Zhu Rongjun, general manager of ZETH-Cement, the Chinese investment subsidiary that is registered in Kyrgyzstan and the investor of the new cement plant, said that it would use advanced technology for production at the plant. Zhu added that the plant would start formal construction in 2014 and be completed and put into production within 15 months.

Kyrgyzstan: Gansu Shangfeng Cement has announced its subsidiary Tongling Shangfeng Cement has signed a cooperation letter of intent with Zhu Rongjun to buy equities and invest in Zeth Cement in Kyrgyzstan.

Initially the two companies intend to build a 300t/day clinker production line and support cement production lines in Chui province. Tongling Shangfeng will hold 58% of Zeth Cement and Zhu will own the remaining 42%. Zhu has agreed to inject limestone mining rights and land-use rights that the company owns or controls for cement production into Zeth.

Kyrgyzstan: During the visit of Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister for Economy and Investment Tayirbek Sarpashev's to China, an agreement has been reached with Chinese investors to build a cement plant in Kemin.

The plant's capacity will be 1.8Mt/yr or 2500t/day. The construction period of the plant should take from one year to 18 months. Investments are expected of more than US$50m. It is planned that construction will begin in April 2012.

"It covers our volume and will lead to lower prices in the market and will substantially reduce the cost of construction in the north of Kyrgyzstan," said Sarpashev.

Kyrgyzstan: A rally against the Aravan Cement Plant had been held in the Aravan district of the Osh region in southern Kyrgyzstan.

Protestors demanded that cleaning filters be installed at the plant, funds be allocated to the local budget and local infrastructure be improved. In addition, they demanded that the plant owners sell cement to residents of the Aravan district at discounted prices.

The protesters have vowed to block the Aravan-Osh road if the plant's management ignores their demands. Additionally they have threatened to revoke the mandate of member of parliament Azamat Arapbaev, who is one of the plant's owners. The rally follows a residents meeting held on 12 September 2012 where similar demands were raised.

Critics of the protest have blamed professional agitators seeking money. In May 2012, a special commission conducted analysis of the air, water and soil at the plant and concluded that all the data met the required standards.

The Aravan Cement Plant started operation in September 2008 with a capacity of 200,000t/yr. About 380 people work at the site. The Aravan Cement Plant is a Kyrgyz-Chinese company.