Displaying items by tag: Plant
Senj Sant cement plant opens in Mongolia
08 September 2015Mongolia: The Senj Sant cement plant was opened on 13 August 2015 in Urgun Soum, Dornogovi, some 450km from the capital Ulaanbaatar, according to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The plant will be the first greenfield cement plant in Mongolia to use the dry process, which is especially significant in the Gobi region, where water is scarce. The plant will also use a waste heat recovery power plant, which will help save energy and water.
The project includes a gender action plan, which means there will be more opportunities for women. Most of the directors of Senj Sant are women. The plant will be overseen by Munkhnasan Narmandakh, the female CEO of its parent holding company, Monpolymet Group, one of Mongolia's leading mining operations. The holding company has an all-female board of directors.
The EBRD provided a financing package of US$85m, which consisted of a US$20m equity investment and a US$65m loan to Senj Sant. The Development Bank of Mongolia lent US$65m. The remaining US$80m of the total project cost of US$230m was funded by the Monpolymet Group.
"This project will be a major step towards establishing domestic cement supply and replacing imports. It is also important for the country's economic diversification," said the EBRD's senior banker in charge of the project, Azjargal Ulziitogtokh. "The EBRD is proud to highlight that the project meets EU requirements and will be using best available technology. Personally, as a Mongolian female professional, I am also very pleased to say that the company has a gender action plan to ensure equal opportunities, which goes beyond industry standards, not only in Mongolia but in the whole region where the EBRD works."
To date, the EBRD has committed over US$1bn to Mongolia's economy. All of the Bank's projects so far have supported private sector companies.
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.
Dominican Republic: Cementos Andino Dominicanos (CAD) has denied that it is planning to suspend work at its Pedernales factory after what the firm called 'a malicious media campaign.' Local reports claimed that CAD would stop production, hindering the construction of government-led tourism projects in one of Dominican Republic's most impoverished regions.
In response CAD underlined its commitment to help develop the area, where it invested US$150m to build the plant in 2002. The firm added that the facility had generated US$46.8m in cement exports and US$44m in exported added-value products since its opening.
PT Semen Tonasa keeps operating after fire
21 August 2015Indonesia: PT Semen Tonasa's Unit IV cement plant in Biring Ere, Bungoro, Pangkejene Islands, South Sulawesi remains in normal operation despite the damage done by a fire on 19 August 2015. The fire lasted for two hours.
One employee was killed and 10 others were injured in the fire that broke out at the coal mill transport belt. The fire was believed to have been sparked in the coal by friction. Most of the injured suffered burns and wounds after leaping from a height. They are currently getting treatment at hospitals in Makassar and Pangkep. The deceased, identified only as Akbar, 25, of Pangkep, was buried on 20 September 2015.
PT Semen Tonasa managing director Unggul Attas confirmed that the fire did not affect operations at the plant. "The plant remains operating like usual and production is stable," said Unggul.
Cimerwa inaugurates new cement plant in Rwanda
20 August 2015Rwanda: Rwanda's only cement manufacturer, Cimerwa, has inaugurated its new US$170m, 500,000t/yr capacity cement plant in Muganza, Rusizi. Its current plant produces 100,000t/yr.
Increasing production capacity makes it possible for the plant to export up to 30% of its total production to other countries, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi. This is expected to drive sustainable economic development and poverty reduction. Exporting cement to neighbouring countries means that Rwanda will be able to reduce its trade deficit gap with at least an additional US$92m/yr in foreign revenues, according to the National Bank of Rwanda (BNR).
Rwanda's current cement demand is estimated at about 450,000t/yr. However, demand across the borders in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi is more than 900,000t/yr.
Legodi Busisiwe, the CEO of Cimerwa, said that the new plant would play a critical role in enhancing competitiveness of the local construction sector through reduced logistical costs. "The new plant seeks to bring on board high quality products that will help boost capacity of the country's infrastructure," he said.
The new plant comes at a time when the Government is trying to narrow the country's trade deficit gap by boosting its exports to the tune of at least 28%/yr. The country's trade deficit improved by 6% from US$723m in 2014 to US$6.78bn during the first five months of 2015. There is hope that cement exports could further narrow this gap.
There is hope among market players that increasing cement production will reduce the high prices of Cimerwa cement in the country. Ephraim Karekezi, a Kigali-based engineer, believes that the new plant will help bring down cement prices. "The cost of construction is high simply because of high prices of raw materials, including cement. Therefore, the new cement plant offers sector players the green light in addressing the question of affordability and propelling the sector towards economic excellence," said Karekezi.
South Valley Cement orders new line from Sinoma
19 August 2015Egypt: South Valley Cement has signed a US$34.7m contract with China's Sinoma for a new cement line.
Tianshan Cement to establish joint venture in Georgia
19 August 2015Georgia: Xinjiang Tianshan Cement has recently signed an agreement with a Georgian cement company and Xinjiang Hualing Industry & Trade to establish a joint venture in Georgia.
With total investment of US$60m, the joint venture will launch a production line with 3000t/day of clinker capacity and 1.2Mt/yr of cement capacity. Xinjiang Tianshan Cement and Xinjiang Hualing Industry & Trade will control an at least a 65% stake the venture, while the Georgia-based cement company and Xinjiang Hualing Industry & Trade will jointly control a 35% stake at most.
Ethiopia: Messebo Cement has hired Industrial Projects Service (IPS), a state-owned consultant, to conduct an assessment of the cement market around Addis Ababa. It wants to explore the feasibility of opening a grinding plant where semi-processed clinker from Tigray will be processed to produce cement.
"The project is mainly intended to minimise the transportation cost incurred from Mekelle to Addis Ababa, which is US$24.5 – 33.7/t, and hence to enable the plant to compete with existing cement plants in the city," said Kidane Tekelehaimanot, Messebo's deputy project manager. Mekelle is 770km away from Addis Ababa. The Addis plant, if opened, would receive and crush the semi-processed clinker by mixing it with additives, which account for 30% of the total amount currently transported from Mekelle. The Mekelle plant produces 83% of its 2.24Mt/yr cement production capacity.
Messebo is the second company after newcomer Habesha Cement to undertake a market study. Habesha, which has a designed production capacity of 2.5Mt/yr, has hired Waas International Consulting to assess the current and future demand and supply of cement, as well as to determine the need of for expansion. Dangote and Derba Midroc cement plants are also planning expansions, with Derba intending to double its 2.3Mt/yr production capacity.
Pakistan: A memorandum of understanding has been signed between the Punjab Government and Chinese cement producer Yantai Baoqiao Jinhong to establish a US$350m cement plant in Salt Range.
India: LafargeHolcim has entered into a letter agreement with Birla Corporation Limited, subject to approval by the Competition Commission of India (CCI), for the divestment of certain assets in India as part of the merger for US$768m. The proceeds from the sale of the divestment business will be used to further reduce debt.
The assets include Lafarge's Sonadih cement plant and Jojobera grinding plant in Eastern India, which have 5.15Mt/yr of cement production capacity. The transaction with Birla Corporation will be submitted to the CCI for approval and is subject to other regulatory approvals and customary conditions. Following the divestment, LafargeHolcim will have around 68Mt/yr of cement capacity in India.