Articles on the cement industry from Global Cement

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federal state comprising seven distinct Emirates, namely Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain. Each of the Emirates is governed by an absolute monarch known as an Emir. The UAE itself is governed by a central president from the capital Abu Dhabi, whose main role is representation of the Emirates. The constitution of the UAE is only concerned with the relationships between the seven Emirates and has no role in deciding how individual Emirates are governed. The UAE has 11 cement plants, but its capacity way outstretches consumption. Today, it is forced to export the commodity to countries, both near and far.

This review looks at the cement industries of the five countries across the north of Africa; Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. In the past two years each country has experienced political protests with revolutions occurring in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Short- to medium-term development prospects have been damaged in some countries as a result, with instability still affecting development, and hence construction, to different extents. The countries' comparatively old and inefficient cement capacity is in some cases struggling to adapt to altered demand levels, although reasons to hope for future increases in demand remain.

Costa Rica, literally meaning 'Rich Coast', is a small democratic country, sandwiched between Panama to the south east and Nicaragua to the north west. Part of the Spanish Empire until 1812, the country has had a more stable past in recent times than many of its neighbours, which has allowed steady economic growth.

Economy and cement market

Costa Rica has one of the largest economies in Central America¹ and is a consistent high performer in the region in terms of its Human Development Index.² It has achieved a considerably higher human development rating than countries with comparable incomes. In 1949 Costa Rica took the dramatic decision to abolish its army. Its neutrality and track-record of diffusing tension in neighbouring countries sometimes earns it the nickname 'Switzerland of Latin America'.

The Central American countries and those of the Caribbean archipelago have a rich and varied history, evident today in their different political systems, languages and cultures. The region has been heavily influenced by cultures from sub-Saharan Africa and the European powers of Spain, Great Britain, France and the Netherlands, who colonised the region from the 1500s onwards. Many of the countries' modern economies rely on exports of primary resources (such as foodstuffs) and tourism, especially in the Caribbean, although many countries now take a significant income from the services sector.

The region's cement industries are predominantly local but can have complex trading patterns. Many nations are too small to support integrated facilities and import from larger neighbours. Indeed, only 13 of the 32 territories covered in this review have integrated cement plants. Here Global Cement Magazine looks at 12 of those 13 producers. Costa Rica is covered in more detail here.

Najran Cement Company (NCC) was established in 2005 as a Saudi Closed Joint Stock Company with a paid up capital of US$306m. The objective was to be a main supplier of cement in the southern region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and be an important exporter to Yemen. It was anticipated that locating the plant and facilities close to Najran city would greatly contribute to the fast development of the region. The company has a quarry license from the Ministry of Petroleum and Minerals for an area of 30km2 that is endowed with huge deposits of limestone, clay, sandstone and gypsum - sufficient for more than 100 years.

NCC was initially planned as a single integrated unit of 6000t/day of clinker at Sultana, around 240km north east of Najran at the tip of the Empty Quarter desert. As the project moved along a decision was taken to expand the clinker plant to 9000t/day by adding one more line of 3000t/day at Sultana to make full use of the vast raw material deposits. This was supplemented by a standalone grinding unit of 2.0Mt/yr at Aakfa, 70km to the west of Najran on the main highway to Asir region.