Displaying items by tag: Russia

Russia: Eurocement has signed a contract for more than Euro116.8m with Finnish power solutions company Wärtsilä for the supply of thermal power plants as part of its modernisation programme for reducing power costs. The total investments in the project will amount to Euro156m. The plants will have a combined capacity of over 300MW, which will meet 60% of the group's power needs and cut costs by 15 - 20%.

Russia: Lafarge SA has sold one of its Russian cement plants to Buzzi Unicem as part of its effort to cut debt. The Ural Cement plant in Korinko, Chelyabisnk was sold for Euro104m. Lafarge aims to reduce its debt to below Euro9bn from Euro11.2bn. The plant sale requires regulatory approval.

Russia: Eurocement has allocated Euro6.2m for the implementation of a new dedusting system at the Katavsky Cement plant in Chelyabinsk. The launch of the system, which was made by the Czech manufacturer ZVVZ, will reduce dust emissions by 33%.

Russia: Stroigaz construction group plans to sell a controlling stake in a cement plant in the Altai region, Siberia. The deal should take place in the first quarter of 2015. Stroigaz holds 75% minus one share in the plant. The plant has a cement production capacity of 300,000t/yr. A strategic investor is expected to boost the plant's capacity. The deal is estimated at Euro22.4-37.3m. Stroigaz had previously held negotiations for the sale of the plant to Germany's HeidelbergCement in 2007, but the deal was not concluded.

Russia: The renovation of the Podgornoe railway in the Podgorensky District of Voronezh Region has now been completed at a total cost of Euro14.8m. Eurocement contributed Euro8.92m to the joint venture project, which was carried out with JSC Russian Railways.

"This is an excellent joint project between big businesses," said the governor of the Voronezh Region, Alexei Gordeev. "Eurocement and JSC Russian Railways were able to reach an agreement on joint investments in the station's renovation, which made it possible to substantially increase its cargo throughput. It was very fortunate for us that one of the largest cement plants was opened in the Podgorensky District of the Voronezh Region. Productivity tripled in the last year alone and all this is thanks to the efforts of the cement plant. Now the railroad is ready to meet the cargo transportation needs of the enterprise." According to the president of Eurocement, Mikhail Skorokhod, the station's renovation will support the shipping of up to 2Mt/yr of cement from Eurocement's plant.

As part of the renovation, existing routes were extended and underwent major repairs, which allows trains of increased length (up to 71 cars) to be used, overhead contact lines were repaired and upgraded and the system underwent a transition to the Ebilock-950 centralised microprocessor, which is designed to control switches and signals at the station. In total, 2.6km of track and 36 turnouts were laid, 13km of overhead contact lines and carrier wires were replaced, 245 new supports were installed and the station area was renovated.

Russia: Eurocement Group and China Triumph International Engineering (part of CNBM), have announced a project to build a mechanical engineering plant in the Ulyanovsk region. Total investments are estimated at US$3bn according to regional press. The implementation of this project was decided upon at a meeting of Ulyanovsk Governor Sergey Morozov, Eurocement Group President Mikhail Skorokhodov and representatives of China Triumph International Engineering.

The facility will make equipment for the cement industry as well as equipment for automotive, railway, oil and gas, chemical, defense and nuclear industries.

Skorokhodov said that Eurocement was currently implementing an 'unprecedented' phase of building new dry-process cement plants. It aims to increase its dry cement production ratio to 100% by 2018.

Russia: Krasnoyarsk Cement plans to launch its new dry-process cement line at the Krasnoyarsk Cement plant in 2014. The launch date will depend on market conditions. Construction will cost Euro262m in total, Euro19.5m of which has already been spent. Construction works began in 2009.

Russia: Eurocement Group will invest Euro167 m in the construction of a cement plant in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic in the North Caucasus. The new plant based on dry process technology will produce up to 4Mt/yr of clinker.

Russia: Russia's Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) has made a decision to extend the consideration period for Holcim's application for the right to direct the following businesses: OAO Lafarge Cement (Moscow), FIANT LLC (Moscow), Lafarge Aggregates & Concrete LLC (Republic of Karelia), Drilling and Blasting Company LLC (Republic of Karelia), Bolshoy Massiv Quarry LLC (Republic of Karelia) and Tekhnobud Klesovsky Quarry of Non-Metallic Minerals LLC (Ukraine). The right to direct the businesses would stem from Holcim's acquisition of 66% of the shares in Lafarge.

Lafarge is licensed for the production, storage and application of industrial explosive materials, being engaged in the activities provided for by Article 6 of the Federal Law on Procedures for Foreign Investments in Business Entities of Strategic Importance for the National Defense and State Security. Therefore, Lafarge qualifies as a business entity of strategic importance for the national defence and state security. Therefore, the deal applied for requires prior approval as provided for by Russia's investment law.

Russia: Andrey Nesen has been appointed as the new director of Voskresenskcement plant, a Lafarge subsidiary. Nesen will oversee production and personnel development, the upkeep of corporate safety standards and will control implementation of the plant's social projects. Andrey Nesen previously occupied the position of Voskresenskcement's operations director, production manager and director of the production analysis department.