Mongolia: Senj Sant is in the midst of constructing a new dry-process cement plant, which will be the first of its kind in Mongolia. The plant is being built to meet rising demand generated by a rapidly-growing economy. The new Senj Sant plant is strategically located in southern Mongolia about 450km from the capital city, Ulaanbaatar.
A deal with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to lend Senj Sant US$65m, following an earlier US$20m equity investment for a stake in Senj Sant that was agreed in May 2013, was signed recently by the EBRD's first vice president Phil Benett.
"This project represents yet another step towards the diversification of Mongolia's economy," said Bennett. Senj Sant, which is owned by Mongolia's Monpolymet Group, is using EBRD finance to continue funding the construction, commissioning and operation of the plant, which is expected to have a total capacity of about 3000t/day of cement with the start of production in 2015.
"The EBRD's long term finance, including equity, is not only helping us to build the first greenfield cement plant in Mongolia using the environmentally-friendly dry-process, but also supporting the company in raising business standards to international levels," said the CEO of Monpolymet Group, Munkhnasan Narmandakh. Mongolia's high levels of mining and infrastructure investment make investment in cement capacity key for future development.
