Displaying items by tag: Plant
India: The Himachal Pradesh state government has cancelled the 2Mt/yr cement plant project that was allotted to Jaiprakash Associates in Chamba District. The state cabinet cancelled the memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the project in February 2014. Another of Jaiprakash Associates' cement plants in Solan District is under investigation for overproduction.
The Chamba District cement plant was proposed at an estimated cost of US$136m near the Baroh-Sindh limestone deposits in Churah Tehsil, Chamba District. When the MoU was signed on 1 February 2007 it was claimed that the plant would provide direct employment to over 1000 people and indirect jobs to over 5000.
Finding that many cement companies have failed to set up their projects, the state cabinet in May 2013 decided to issue notices to Harish Cements, Lafarge India, India Cements and Jaiprakash Associates for failing to set up cement plants, despite the government having granted approvals. Following the cabinet decision the industries department issued show-cause notices to the companies. The industries department examined the replies and forwarded them to the state government. Finding the reply submitted by Jaiprakash Associates unsatisfactory, the cabinet cancelled the MoU in February 2014.
Industries minister Mukesh Agnihotri confirmed the cancellation of the proposed Jaiprakash Associates cement plant. Some other cement companies in Himachal Pradesh State are also under investigation due to reports of violations. The minister said that Jaiprakash Associates' cement plant in Solan District was allowed to produce 2.05Mt/yr of cement but that the company was actually producing 3.46Mt/yr.
"All these years, the company was making additional production without having the requisite permission," said Agnihotri. "When we started investigations the company approached the government seeking permission to regularise additional production." Agnihotri said that the order for an energy audit of Jaiprakash Associates has already been issued and that strict action would be initiated if violations are found on the part of the company.
Guatemala: Cementos Progreso will open a new cement plant, called San Gabriel, in San Juan Sacatepequez in the first quarter of 2017. The firm is investing US$700m on the 2.2Mt/yr capacity cement plant.
Saudi Arabia: Saudi cement producer City Cement Company has announced that it intends to invest US$29.7m to boost its cement grinding capacity to 265t/hr. The company said that it would use its own funds to finance the expansion. Construction will start on 1 June 2014, with completion expected in February 2016. Commercial production is expected in March 2016.
India: Mangalam Cement Ltd has announced that the company's new 1.25Mt/yr cement mill at Kota District, Rajasthan, which had been under a trial run, started commercial production on 28 May 2014. The cement plant's total capacity has increased from 2.0Mt/yr to 3.25Mt/yr.
Bolivia: A Spanish-German consortium, formed by Imasa, Polysius and Valoriza, intends to build a US$244m cement plant in Bolivia. The consortium has received the order from Bolivia's state-run cement producer Empresa Publica Productiva Cementos de Bolivia (Ecebol).
The new factory will be located in the Oruro department near a limestone quarry that has reserves of 209Mt. This has the capability to supply raw material for 90 years. The plant will have an annual production capacity of 1.3Mt/yr.
Russia: Novoroscement plans to launch a cement production line at its Pervomaisky plant near Novorossiysk. The plant will have a cement production capacity of 2.2Mt/yr and Euro250m has been invested in the project.
Rwanda: South Africa's PPC has said that it will begin the commissioning of its 0.60Mt/yr cement plant in Rwanda by the end of 2014, while construction of new plants in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DCCR), Zimbabwe and Ethiopia continues.
Russia: Eurocement Group has signed contracts with Chinese companies for equipment supplies, engineering, installation supervision and employee training totalling Euro387m.
"The contracts, which were signed on 20 May 2014, include the delivery of a complete set of equipment necessary for the construction of new cement dry-production lines," said Eurocement. The contracted supplies include mechanical equipment, furnaces, cyclone heat exchangers, crushers, and mills.
The equipment will be used for the construction of new cement plants with a total cement production capacity of 17Mt/yr in six regions of Russia: Leningrad, Ryazan, Bryansk, Arkhangelsk, Ulyanovsk and Samara regions. Eurocement currently operates 16 cement plants with 40Mt/yr of production capacity.
Cemento Polpaico seeks to build 20MW solar plant
21 May 2014Chile: On 20 May 2014 the environmental committee of Chile's Santiago Metropolitan region admitted for evaluation a 20MW solar power project from Chilean cement producer Cemento Polpaico.
Cemento Polpaico plans to invest US$42m in the Cerro Blanco photovoltaic park, which will be installed next to its cement plant in the Tiltil Municipality. The park will help to diversify Chile's energy mix and will supply renewable energy to the central power network (SIC), through the Punta Peuco substation, according to the environmental impact declaration. Construction is projected to commence in 2014.
Lafarge opens a Euro500m cement plant in Kaluga
20 May 2014Russia: Lafarge opened a Euro500m cement plant in Kaluga on 19 May 2014. The plant is the group's biggest project in Russia so far, according to Andre Martin, Lafarge's president in Russia.
The plant has a cement production capacity of 2Mt/yr. Raw material will be sourced from the adjacent Borschovskoye field, which Lafarge calculates has enough reserves to last 50 years. All of the cement will be supplied to the domestic market.
"This is a very modern enterprise. Russia produces a lot of cement and it needs more and more of it to modernise old enterprises," said first deputy prime minister Igor Shuvalov.
Lafarge is not planning to adjust its plans to develop business in Russia due to the Ukraine crisis, according to Martin. He said that Lafarge, which has been doing business in Russia since 1996, had long-term development plans for the Kaluga region.