09 June 2017
US: HarbisonWalker International has broken ground on its new monolithic refractory plant at the Point Industrial Park in South Point, Lawrence County, Ohio. The US$30m plant was first announced in February 2017 and will be operational by early 2018. It will have a production capacity of 80,000t/yr.
Algeria: The Saoura Cement Company has ordered a MVR 5000 R-4 mill from Gebr. Pfeiffer for a new cement plant at Bechar. The 350t/hr raw cement mill will grind material to a fineness of 12% R90µm and the drive will have a power of 3800kW. Delivery for the mill is scheduled for the first half of 2018. The MVR mill is the fourth that Gebr. Pfeiffer has received an order for in Algeria.
South Africa: PPC has ‘substantially agreed’ the structure and how it intends to implement a new broad-based black economic empowerment (BBBEE) transaction. However, it is waiting for the release of the new mining charter before proceeding, according to the Star newspaper. PPC chief executive Darryll Castle has said that the cement producer’s proposed merger with Afrisam is ‘going on in the background’ and that it would have to assess the impact of the Afrisam transaction on the company's new BBBEE transaction.
Fiji: Pacific Cement has stopped cement production due to a breakdown at its plant. Acting Prime Minister, Attorney-General and Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said that the cement producer stopped production in late May 2017, according to the Pacific News Agency Service. The government intends to allow people to import cement duty free, as long as it meets the AS3972 standard, in order to prevent a cement shortage.
Pacific Cement supplies about 80% of the market in Fiji and it operates the only integrated plant in the territory. The other local supplier in the market is Tengy Cement. Pacific Cement has also agreed to sell 24,000t of surplus clinker to Tengy Cement following government intervention.
Republic of Congo: Nigeria’s Dangote says it will deliver the first batch of 42.5 R grade cement from its new US$350m cement plant at Mfila near Brazzaville in July 2017. The plant was completed in May 2017 and it is currently undergoing test runs, according to the Vanguard newspaper. The 1.5Mt/yr plant will join others run by CIMAF, Sonocc and Forspal in the country.