Global Cement News

Maldives: Lafarge Maldives has opened a 4000t cement silo at its Thilafushi silo terminal. It is the largest single cement silo in the Maldives. The facility now has a total capacity of 9000t due to other silos at the same site.

The expansion was opened by the Minister of Economic Development Mohamed Saeed, Lafarge Cement Managing Director Breece Orden Reece and State Trading Organisation Managing Director Ahmed Shaheer.

India: According to the Press Trust of India, at least five suspected A'chik Matgrik Elite Force (AMEF) terrorists attacked the Virgo cement plant in Damas, North Garo Hills, Meghalaya in the early morning on 18 June 2015. Two crude bombs were hurled in the incident, causing partial damage to a building. No casualties have been reported.

The men entered the plant through the second gate and asked the security personnel in the sentry post to open the main gate door. After they exploded one crude bomb inside the sentry post, causing partial damage, another crude bomb was thrown before escaping.

Russia: According to Prime News, Mikhail Skorokhod, president of Eurocement Group, has said that the cement industry of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), which comprises Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan, may receive about Euro4.42bn of private investment until 2020.

"Speaking of plans until 2020, we expect to see launches of about 40Mt/yr of capacities and about Euro4.42bn of private investment will be needed for that," said Skorokhod, adding that investments in Russia will account for about 80% of the total sum. Investment in the sector amounted to Euro13.3bn until 2014 and production capacities totalling 45Mt/yr cement were launched.

Nepal: Dangote Cement Nepal has said that it will start the construction of a plant in Makawanpur in three months, when all of the preparatory works, licensing and permissions are complete. D V G Edwin, executive director of Dangote Group, said that the company would also acquire a license for an additional mine by then.

Dangote Cement Nepal plans to start production within three years with an investment of US$550m. It will be Dangote's 15th cement plant and will have 6000t/day of production capacity.

Meanwhile, Dangote Group has provided US$1m of to Nepal's Disaster Relief Fund. The support was provided through Dangote Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of Dangote Group. Zouera Youssoufou, managing director of the foundation, handed over the cheque to prime minister Sushil Koirala on 17 June 2015. According to company officials, Aliko Dangote, chairman of Dangote Foundation, has also sent a message of sympathy to the government and assured the foundation that support in the rehabilitation of earthquake victims would be provided.

Nigeria: According to This Day Life, United Cement Company of Nigeria Limited (UniCem) has denied claims that it was making plans to relocate from Calabar, the Cross River State capital, to Lagos.

UniCem debunked the claims following a publication made by the Cross River State-owned Weekend Chronicle to the effect that the alleged planned relocation had caused internal crisis in the company. However, UniCem has reacted to the speculated relocation plan through a press statement and said that there was no truth in the report.

"United Cement Company of Nigeria Limited (UniCem) has declared as false a publication on the front page of the Weekend Chronicle of 19 June 2015 with the caption 'Crisis rocks UniCem over relocation plan,'" said the statement, which was signed by UniCem's corporate affairs director Ayi Ita Ayi. Ayi said that, "The report is false, misleading and lacking in truth." He added that UniCem operates in Calabar and will never be relocated to Lagos for any reason. He questioned why anyone would contemplate that UniCem, with such a huge investment in Cross River, would relocate its assets to Lagos and expressed surprise over why, a reputable media organisation such as the Nigerian Chronicle, did not cross-check facts before going to press on such a sensitive issue.