Displaying items by tag: Upgrade
Mombasa Cement starts building wind farm in Kenya
18 November 2019Kenya: Mombasa Cement has started building a 36MW wind farm at its integrated Vipingo plant. The project is intended to support a new grinding unit being constructed at the site, according to the Business Daily newspaper. It is intended to reduce the cost of electricity and minimise disruptions caused by power cuts. The wind farm will consist of 12 turbines with a capacity of 3MW each. The cement plant is also installing a high-power voltage line from the Kaloleni substation to improve its connection to the local electricity grid.
PPC Zimbabwe looking to build solar plant
13 November 2019Zimbabwe: PPC Zimbabwe is looking to enter into a partnership with investors to build a solar energy plant of up to 16MW to supply its two plants in Bulawayo and Colleen Bawn. It also intends to have a 28hr battery back-up facility.
The company said that the move to solar would ensure uninterrupted power supplies to its plants, which have been badly affected by the prevailing power shortages in the country. Power utility Zesa Holdings has been forced to ration power in mid 2019 as production at its main hydro-power plant dwindled due to water shortages. Its main thermal power station experiences constant breakdowns due to its old age.
Carbon Capture and Storage technology installation begins at Buzzi Unicem cement plant
11 November 2019Italy: Buzzi Unicem’s 1.3Mt/yr Vernasca plant in Piacenza will receive a Cleanker Project pilot system for carbon capture and storage (CCS). The installation is EU-funded as part of Horizon 2020, a seven-year research and innovation framework programme, and its success will be closely monitored for possible implementation at other cement plants in the EU and beyond.
India: Tamil Nadu Cement has constructed a second 1.0Mt/yr production line at its 0.7Mt/yr Ariyalur cement plant, bringing its total capacity to 1.7Mt/yr. Projects Today has reported that Tamil Nadu Cement, which also operates a 0.4Mt/yr integrated cement plant in Alangulam, will employ 250 at the second line, the development of which will cost US$115m. In the 12 months to 31 March 2019, Tamil Nadu Cement sold 74% of cement produced at its plants (0.4Mt) to the Rural Development Agency and other government departments at lower than market rate.
Eurocement upgrades Karachay plant
29 October 2019Russia: Eurocement Group’s subsidiary Kavkazcement has installed a gas-piston power plant at its 4Mt/yr clinker production plant in Karachay in the Karachay-Cherkass republic. The US$20.4m project forms part of a US$39.2m investment in the plant by the company and regional government, which includes the construction of an automated packing and shipping facility. Eurocement Group president Mikhail Skorokhod spoke of the impact of the power plant in terms of ‘improving energy efficiency and environmental friendliness, as well as cutting production costs.’
Japan: Taiheyo Cement’s 1.4Mt/yr integrated Saitama cement plant is to receive a 53,000MWh/yr waste heat recovery (WHR) unit. The company says that the installation, which will become operational in September 2022, will reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by roughly 27,000t/yr.
Anchorage Port Commission seeks petrol tariff increase to support cement terminal repairs
24 October 2019US: The restoration of Anchorage Petroleum Cement Terminal in Alaska to fully functioning docking capabilities for oil well cement offloading operations after its ruin in an earthquake of 30 November 2018 will cost US$81m. At a special meeting on 23 October 2019, the port Commission voted to petition the Anchorage Assembly for a progressive tariff increase on all petroleum imports over 10 years to US$399/t from US$116/t.
The works are scheduled for completion by January 2021, with the possibility of a reduction in the rate of tariff increase subject to grants received from the state.
Loma Negra to hire 120 for new line at L’Amali plant
17 October 2019Argentina: Loma’s new line at its L’Amali plant in Olavarría Province, involving a kiln, two vertical mills and a bagging and palletising unit, will create 120 jobs, 80 of which will go to plant staff. The company had previously estimated that 220 people would work on the line. In a statement, it emphasised the importance of maximising gender parity in its recruitment process.
Loma Negra estimated that the upgrade will enlarge the plant’s capacity by 40% to 2.4Mt/yr from 1.7Mt/yr. The declaration follows the announced relocation of 45 staff members with the closure of the 1.5Mt/yr integrated Olavarría cement plant, also in Olavarría province.
GyroMetric Systems to supply drive monitoring system to Tarmac Tunstead cement plant in the UK
14 October 2019UK: GyroMetric Systems has signed an agreement to install digital monitoring equipment on a 11kV raw mill drive at Tarmac’s Tunstead cement plant in Derbyshire. Measured digital parameters will include dynamic torque across the coupling, radial displacement of the shaft (and therefore misalignment), and torsional vibrations of the drive system. The data will also provide information on the condition of the gearbox. GyroMetric Systems is controlled by Remote Monitored Systems. No value for the order has been disclosed.
Lehigh Hanson starts construction work on Mitchell plant upgrade
10 October 2019US: Lehigh Hanson has started construction work on a US$600m upgrade to its Mitchell cement plant. The groundbreaking ceremony follows approval of an air permit by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) in July 2019, according to WBIW radio. The subsidiary of Germany’s HeidelbergCement is building a new production line to replace the existing three lines at the site. Start-up for the line is scheduled for the third quarter of 2022.