Azerbaijan: Holcim has announced the completion of its expansion and efficiency improvement project at its OJSC Garadagh Cement plant in Azerbaijan. Garadagh Cement's CEO, Raoul Waldburger said that the USD448m investment was coming to a close. "The new kiln at Garadagh Cement will start clinker production by the end of 2011," he said. Work on the project, which was carried out by the Chinese firm CBMI Construction Company (belonging to Sinoma International Engineering), had been expected be completed by the end of June 2011.
Thanks to the new kiln, the plant will switch from wet to dry cement production technology. At the same time, the capacity of the plant will rise 2600t/day to 4000t/day. The cost of the project was split between (USD251m), the Asian Development Bank (USD27m) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (USD170m).