Displaying items by tag: Plant
Controversial Canadian plant gets government cash
31 January 2014Canada: It has been announced that a controversial new US$1bn cement plant and marine terminal, to be constructed by McInnis Cement, will be part financed by the Quebec government and two provincial agencies. The authorities will inject US$350m into the Port-Daniel facility. The other US$650m will be provided by McInnis Cement, which is owned by the Beaudoin/Bombardier family that also controls Bombardier Inc, and aircraft and rolling stock manufacturer.
The McInnis project is scheduled to produce 2Mt/yr and will employ about 2400 workers during the construction phase. The plant will employ around 400 people directly and indirectly by 2016, when it is scheduled to start operations. The company has access to a 450Mt limestone reserve.
A union official who represents about 500 workers at two existing cement plants in St-Constant and St-Basile-de-Portneuf reacted with outrage to the project. "Our members are very angry," said Daniel Roy, Quebec director of Métallos, the United Steelworkers union. "We just don't get it. The cement industry is already in an overcapacity situation and at any given time, between 100 and 150 of our members are sitting at home on temporary furlough. Here they are announcing a huge project like that. It will inevitably mean layoffs at our current plants."
Another irritated party is Lafarge, which has long complained that the McInnis project would benefit unfairly from Quebec taxpayer money and would further distort the market, which already has oversupply. In September 2013 a Lafarge executive warned that the four established players, itself, Colacem, Holcim and Ciment Québec, would be unfairly disadvantaged.
Peruvian joint venture plant no longer on the cards
29 January 2014Peru: Sources close to the Peruvian cement sector have reported that the shareholders of Cementos Portland (Cempor), a joint venture between Peru's Portland Investment World Cement Group, Brazil's Votorantim Cimentos and Chile's Cementos Bío Bío that was due to construct a cement plant close to the Peruvian capital Lima, did not reach an agreement on its agenda items. They are now to resolve their differences in an international commercial arbitration, which will probably take place in France. Issues came to a head at a meeting on 27 January 2014 due to a disagreement over financing.
US$50m cement plant for Masvingo
28 January 2014Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe Zhongxin intends to build a cement plant in Masvingo at an estimated cost of US$50m. The company initially wanted to construct the plant in Chimanimani but had to relocate to Masvingo where 'substantial' limestone deposits were found.
Zhongxin Coking is the controlling shareholder in Zimbabwe Zhongxin with a 70% stake, while a local consortium, Qualisave Minerals Investments, owns a 30% stake. The project may commence during the first half of 2014 once the company has obtained all of the regulatory permits. The project has potential to create 400 jobs.
In terms of complying with the indigenisation and empowerment laws, an unnamed source stated that "the Chinese investors are bringing in capital close to US$49.5m and the contribution from the locals is quite insignificant for them to have a controlling interest. As such, negotiations are ongoing with the relevant authorities. The proposal is that the Chinese investors will gradually release some of the shares to the local partners in the coming years."
Zimbabwe's cement market is looking bright, with demand expected to increase thanks to various infrastructural projects on the cards, some of which are already underway. With an infrastructure backlog of US$14bn, the cement demand is expected to grow significantly in the medium to long term.
New cement plant to be built in Kajiado
21 January 2014Kenya: East Africa Portland Cement Co (EAPCC) boss Kephar Tande has said that the government is set to build a second cement factory in Kajiado, Athi River State.
Tande said that plans are underway for the construction of a fully-fledged cement factory in the Nooleleshuani area of Kajiado and is expected to be in operation in 2016. He said that the site is next to the limestone-rich Maasai plains, which are the major source of cement raw materials in Kajiado county that are supplied to all of the five companies based in Athi River.
"This will ensure its position in the Kenyan market remains strong and help it to eventually acquire leadership. We are currently carrying out feasibility studies for a clinker plant in Nooleleshuani near Bisil and will install a new cement mill by 2016 to increase our cement production capacity to 2Mt/yr," said Tande.
The EAPCC announcement to build a new cement plant comes a few days after cement makers increased cement prices in the wake of a new mining levy imposed by the Ministry of Mining.
CMS Cement to increase capacity to 2.75Mt/yr
20 January 2014Malaysia: Cement manufacturer CMS Cement Sdn Bhd, a Cahya Mata Sarawak Bhd subsidiary, will invest in a third cement grinding plant that will boost its installed capacity by 1Mt/yr to 2.75Mt/yr.
Cahya Mata group managing director, Datuk Richard Curtis, said that the plant would be adjacent to CMS Cement's clinker plant in Mambong, Jalan Penrissen. "We are now evaluating tenders for the project. It is expected to be ready by 2016 to support Sarawak's future growth and development," said Curtis. He said that the new plant, which would be integrated with the clinker plant, would serve the needs of Kuching and its hinterland while the existing plant at Pending would cater for other towns in Sarawak when the new factory was commissioned.
CMS Cement recorded sales of 1.67Mt of bulk and bagged cement in 2013. Curtis said the company's cement sales were estimated to increase to 1.72Mt in 2014 and that the company might import 0.20Mt, which was lower than the 0.27Mt imported in 2013. Once the third grinding plant is operational, the company will be able to address any production disruptions when one of the plants is shut down for maintenance.
CMS Cement will invest US$18.1m on the new plant, a third bulk cement barge to improve distribution capability, a 4000t cement silo to increase storage capacity and an inline packer for the Bintulu grinding plant to beef up capacity for bagged cement.
Kazakhstan to launch new cement plants to reduce imports
17 January 2014Kazakhstan: The Ministry of Innovation and New Technology of Kazakhstan has announced that in 2014 the Mangistau region in the southwest and Akmola region in the north of Kazakhstan will be able to completely halt cement imports, as new cement production facilities will be launched in these regions.
"The launch of new production facilities, Caspiycement in the Mangistau region, which will have a capacity of 1Mt/yr and Kokshecement in the Akmola region, which will have a 2Mt/yr capacity, will allow the regions to halt cement imports, increase cement exports and curb seasonal price increases in the west and north of Kazakhstan," the ministry said.
According to the ministry, in the first 10 months of 2013 Kazakhstan produced 6.2Mt and imported 1.6Mt of cement. During this period, the supply of cement produced in Kazakhstan exceeded 80% of the country's demand. Kazakhstan now has 10 cement plants with a total production capacity of 10.7Mt/yr.
In December 2013 Italy's Italcementi held a ground-breaking ceremony for a new kiln line at its ShymkentCement plant in southern Kazakhstan. The plant's managing director, Gabriel Morin, said that the production capacity of the new dry cement line will be 1.2Mt/yr and will take 20 months to complete.
"The new cement making technology line is expected to produce first clinker in the middle of 2015," said Morin, adding that after the launch of the new line the old kiln will be shut down. Modernisation of the 1.28Mt/yr plant has cost US$80m.
Cameroon: Dangote Cement has signed an agreement with Gaz du Cameroun for the provision of gas for its 1.6Mt/yr cement plant in Douala, Cameroon. Commissioning of the cement plant is planned in January 2014 and the gas supply is scheduled to start in the second half of 2014. Construction at the Douala cement plant was delayed by a land dispute in 2012. The new plant is expected to reduce cement prices in the country.
India: The Cement Corporation of India's (CCI) Bokajan cement plant has halted production since 1 January 2014 due to a shortage of funds to purchase coal. Employees, unions and other local bodies have threatened to thwart any 'conspiracy of management' to close down the plant on 'insubstantial grounds' and have sought the intervention of Assam's Chief Minister to restore production.
Previously, the Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR) declared that the state-owned CCI was a 'sick' industry but following good revenues from the cement producer's plants in Rajbon, Tendur and Bokajan the Indian government decided to keep the plants running.
Semen Baturaja to build new cement plant
08 January 2014Indonesia: PT Semen Baturaja plans to build a new 2Mt/yr cement plant. CEO Pamudji Rahardjo announced the project while detailing a 40% increase in the Indonesian cement producers' plant investment fund to US$240m from US$205m, according to Investor Daily.
Zuari Cement to build 3Mt/yr plant at Gulberga
08 January 2014India: Zuari Cement plans to expand its cement production capacity with a 3Mt/yr cement in Gulberga. The Italcementi subsidiary has invested US$400m towards capacity development in spite of what it called 'tough' market conditions. Other projects include setting up a grinding plant in Solapur and a terminal at Kochi.