Displaying items by tag: Limestone
Oman: Carmeuse, a specialist company in the production of lime and lime-related products, said that it is on course to bring part of its lime-calcining plant in Oman's Dhofar Governorate into operation during the second half of 2014.
Carmeuse Majan LLC, a joint venture company led by Belgium-based Carmeuse Holding SA, is setting up the project in the Salalah Free Zone with an investment of around US$180m. A total of eight kilns, each with a lime capacity of 125,000t/yr, are envisioned as part of the project. Development of the plant is planned in phases, with initial production planned for the second half of 2014.
The plant's output is primarily targeted at India, where demand for lime products is rising sharply. The Gulf region is also seen as a promising market for Carmeuse's products. Dhofar's relative proximity to the Indian subcontinent and Middle Eastern markets, coupled with the presence of a deepwater port in Salalah, are key factors underlying Carmeuse's decision to invest in the Sultanate.
The lime-calcining venture is expected to contribute to a further spurt in general cargo volumes handled by the Port of Salalah. Mineral exports have continued to fuel the growth of general cargo volumes, which soared to a record 7.94Mt at the end of 2013, up by 9.5% from the previous year's volume of 7.25Mt. Exports of limestone and gypsum accounted for much of this growth, although significant volumes of cement, fuel and methanol were also handled. A new General Cargo Terminal is under construction at the logistics hub to cater to the steady growth in mineral products and other bulk commodities.
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Schaefer Kalk Gmbh & Co is planning to initiate a joint manufacturing project with BFS, part of the Stanić group. The Euro30m project will be located in the city of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina and will generate around 150 jobs.
The entire production of the future lime plant will be exported to markets in Africa, Asia and Europe. Mostar was chosen because of its proximity to the port of Ploče in Croatia, which would facilitate the export process.
"At the moment the initiative is in the preparation phase, which includes obtaining certification on taking the test quantity of limestone," said the Mostar city authorities. "After this a trial production would take place in the BFS plants in Kresevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina."
India: Shree Cement is planning a 3Mt/yr limestone mining project at Baloda Bazar, Chhattisgarh. The project is part of an integrated cement plant project. Mining work is expected to commence in December 2014.
Uzbekistan: OJSC Akhangarancement, a subsidiary of Russia's CJSC Eurocement Group, has received a limestone and marl production license for the Shavazsay field in the Almalyk region of Uzbekistan. A special commission of the Uzbekistan government issued the license, which covers the extraction of non-ore mineral resources.
The Shavazsay field, which was opened in 1974, has resources of 36.4Mt of limestone. Preliminary data shows that these resources will last for 25 years given Akhangarancement's current capacity.
Akhangarancement is one of the largest cement producers in Uzbekistan, with a 30% share of the market. It exports mainly to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan. The company is projected to produce 1.99Mt of cement in 2014. Cement production increased by 6% in 2013, while clinker production increased by 13% in the same period. The company's mountain division produced 1.64Mt of limestone in 2013, up by 19% on 2012.
Workers exposed to cement powder in Tucson plant accident
29 October 2013US: Two workers at the Staker Parson cement plant, Tucson, Arizona, were exposed to cement powder when a silo malfunctioned and dumped the material onto them on 28 October 2013. When crews from the fire department arrived, their first priority was to decontaminate the employees by washing the cement powder off them using hoses.
Both men had respiratory complaints and one man had eye irritation. Both were taken to hospital for further treatment. Two other employees worked for one hour to plug the silo to keep the cement powder from continuing to leak out. They wore protective clothing, but also had to be decontaminated and were also taken to hospital for further evaluation.
All of the men were released from the hospital shortly after the incident.
Hima appeals limestone rights
17 April 2013Uganda: Hima Cement says it has successfully challenged the loss of its limestone mining rights in Kasese, western Uganda.
David Njoroge, the General Manager of the Lafarge subsidiary, stated that the company had challenged the move during an Administrative Review process that was conducted in accordance with the Mining Act. It cited various instances of breach of the requirements of the law in the handover of its mining rights to the third party. Njoroge said the matter went to the High Court and has now progressed to the Court of Appeal.
"A stay of the orders of the High Court has been applied for and the appeal process has been commenced seeking to overturn the ruling of the High Court," said Njoroge. Hima lost the rights in early April 2013 to the East African Gold Sniffing Company following a Ugandan High Court ruling.
Hima loses limestone rights in Uganda
03 April 2013Uganda: Hima Cement has lost its mining rights to limestone deposits in Uganda following a High Court decision. The court transferred the rights to limestone deposits in Kasese, western Uganda, from the subsidiary of Lafarge to the East African Gold Sniffing Company.
The court ruled that Hima's lease was for 21 years, ending on 31 December 2011, and it had already lapsed without any renewal in accordance with Section 47 of the Mining Act. East Africa Gold Sniffing contested a decision by the Ministry of Energy that restored Hima's mining rights after Hima managed to secure an exploration licence over the same area. The ruling means that mining of limestone and processing of cement must cease until and if an appellate court overturns the decision.
Ultratech interested in limestone mine in Mozambique
25 April 2012Mozambique: Indian firm Ultratech Cement is negotiating the purchase of a limestone mine in southern Mozambique for about US$286m. According to media reports, negotiations between the Mumbai conglomerate and the mine's owner began in February 2012 and the deal may result in the construction of a cement factory in Mozambique, a country where the demand for construction materials has been growing at an annual rate of 8 - 9%/yr.
The mine is located in the Magude region of southern Mozambique near the capital Maputo and has estimated reserves of 700 – 800Mt of high quality limestone.
In April 2010, UltraTech Cement acquired the ETA Star Cement company, a Dubai producer with capacity of 2.3Mt/yr US$324m, opening access to markets in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Bangladesh.
NGO demands suspension of forest officials over mining
14 November 2011India: Jaintia Youth Federation, a social organisation, has demanded the immediate suspension of forest officials who have declared forest areas as 'non-forest' land in the Jaintia Hills area of Meghalaya. The organisation expressed its fury that a large number of cement plants have been effectively allowed to mine limestone in forested areas. It also said that the state government should ask the eight cement companies in Jaintia Hills to contribute to compensatory afforestation.
"Officials who have declared such forests as non-forests need to be suspended and severe action needs to be taken against them as they have cheated and hoodwinked the government and helped the cement companies to function all these years," said the president of Jaintia Youth Federation, refering to a 1996 technical ruling.
Majaw added that similar action to that seen recently against Lafarge needed to be brought against all of the cement companies mining in the same area.