Kazakhstan: 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.