Displaying items by tag: Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Ghori Cement Factory in Baghlan has more than doubled its daily cement production from 250-300t to 700t, according to Shafiullah Wahidi, head of the plant. He said that both the first and second units are operating normally, while construction of the third unit is ‘progressing rapidly’. Wahidi said that a third unit will be completed within 18 months, at an estimated cost of US$86m, increasing the plant’s total production capacity to 5000t/day.

Afghanistan: Construction has begun on the third Ghori Cement plant in Baghlan province, with an investment of US$86.7m, according to local press. The facility will produce 5000t/day of cement and is scheduled for completion within 18 months.

Deputy prime minister for economic affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar said the project was a major step towards self-sufficiency in cement production, job creation and stabilising prices, and that it would meet domestic cement demand once operational.

Afghanistan: The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum announced the start of work on five cement plants in Kandahar, Herat, Parwan, Jawzjan and Logar with a total investment of US$750m, according to Ariana News. Some of these facilities are expected to start production later in 2025 or early 2026. Once operational, these plants will enable the country to produce 15,000t/day of cement, raising national output to 5.5Mt/yr and potentially allowing for export to nearby countries. The news outlet reported that currently 90% of the cement available domestically is imported.

Tajikistan: The Ministry of Industry and New Technologies has blamed falling cement production in Tajikistan on growth in production in neighbouring Uzbekistan. It also noted rising output in Afghanistan, according to Asia-Plus. Local production fell by 2% year-on-year to 4.35Mt in 2024 from 4.46Mt in 2023. Ministry data shows that exports of cement from Tajikistan dropped by 30% to 0.29Mt from 0.66Mt. In November 2024 Uzbekistan sharply increased customs clearance fees on Tajik cement to US$300/t from US$35/t.

Afghanistan: The Jabal al-Saraj cement plant project in Parwan province has completed 90% of initial exploration work, along with the drilling of 18 deep wells for mineral sampling, according to Tolo news.

The facility has been contracted between the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum and a Qatari firm, and is valued at US$220m.

Mohammad Idris Anwari, the governor of Parwan, said "The contracting company has completed 90% of the exploration work within six months, ahead of schedule. We are hopeful that the remaining construction and technical work will be completed within two years."

The plant will initially produce 3000t/day (0.96Mt/yr) of cement, rising to 9000t/day (2.9Mt/yr) in later phases. The project will reportedly create 5000 jobs.

Afghanistan: The office of the deputy prime minister for economic affairs says that the country has invested over US$600m in the cement sector since the Taliban administration took charge in 2021. It cited a US$1m renovation project at the Jabal Saraj cement plant in Parwan province, according to National Afghanistan TV and the BBC. Future investment projects are also planned for Jabal Saraj as well as the Temtaq plant in Jowzjan province and the Herat cement factory in Herat province.

At present the local cement sector has a reported production capacity of 5Mt/yr.

Afghanistan: Al-Falah Al-Alami Company will build a new cement plant in Jabal Saraj, north of Kabul, with an investment of US$220m. The plant is expected to reduce Afghanistan’s dependency on imported cement. It is reportedly being built on a 120-hectare site and will create employment opportunities for around 5000 people. All raw materials required for cement production will be sourced locally.

According to a post on X by spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Mawlawi Zabihullah Mujahid, the Jabal Saraj cement plant will have the capacity to produce 5000t/day of cement or 1.6Mt/yr.

Afghanistan: A joint venture of two local and two China-based companies plans to build a new US$200m, 1Mt/yr-capacity cement plant in Balkh. Afghan state media has reported that the plant will generate 1000 local jobs and reduce the reliance on imports in Northern Afghanistan.

Afghanistan: The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum has signed a US$163m contract for the construction of a cement plant in northern Jawzjan province. The plant will produce 3000t/day of cement under a 30-year contract and is expected to employ about 1200 local people.

In an attempt to become self-sufficient in its cement production, the Ministry has also recently signed contracts worth US$476m with domestic and international companies across Parwan, Kandahar and Herat provinces.

Afghanistan: The governments of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan have agreed to build a new 1Mt/yr cement plant in northern Afghanistan. Trend News has reported that representatives of the three countries met to discuss the upcoming plant, as well as other opportunities for regional cooperation, railways and the role of Afghanistan in the Economic Cooperation Organisation.