Displaying items by tag: Plant
Construction work of Cemtech’s US$114m cement plant to start in 2016
24 September 2015Kenya: Construction work for the long-awaited US$114m, 1.2Mt/yr cement plant project in Sebit, West Pokot will kick off early in 2016, company officials have confirmed.
Cemtech, a subsidiary of India's Sanghi Group, will begin construction work after approval by engineers who had earlier raised queries over its location, among other issues. Residents, some of whom expected to benefit either directly or indirectly from the plant construction, had waited a long time for commencement of the facility, which is long overdue.
Cemtech general manager Diptish Nandha has confirmed that all pending issues have now been resolved. Nadha said that experts had been assessing the quantity and quality of limestone and solving ground geometric technicalities that had delayed the setting up of the plant. "We have now solved the two major challenges on quality of limestone and ground geometric technicalities that delayed the start of construction," said Nadha. He disclosed that upon completion, residents nearby the plant would benefit from power supply from the company.
The cement plant was expected to start up about five years ago, but a number of challenges delayed construction. At one point, region leaders, including the governor and senator John Lonyangapuo, threatened that they would revoke operation license in favour of another investor who would show 'seriousness.'
Nandha said that the suppliers of the plant machinery are redesigning the machines to ease transportation. He revealed that the machines are expected to be on the location at Sebit by January 2016, after which construction works will begin. "The machines are very heavy and cannot be transported easily from Mombasa. That is why we have redesigned dissembled parts so that they can be easily transported from the port of Mombasa," said Nandha.
Tajikistan plans to become net cement exporter
24 September 2015Tajikistan: Tajikistan is increasing its cement capacity in order to resume exports by 2020, Tajikistan's Ministry of Economic Development and Trade has reported.
Currently, there are six new cement plants operating in various capacities under construction, which will allow Tajikistan to cover its domestic needs, as well as to resume exports. The plants are being financed by domestic and foreign funding. Several medium and large capacity cement plants, including projects in Sughd and Khatlon, are being built thanks to Chinese investments.
The construction of the Tajikistan-China joint venture cement plant, Tajchina has already begun and is expected to start operation in 2015. Other cement plants are planned for construction in the Dangara, Bobokon, Gafurov, and Isfara districts, as well as in Istiklol city. Currently, the country's largest cement plant is Huaxin Gayur Cement, a joint venture between a subsidiary of China's Huaxin Cement and Gaur Limited Liability Company.
Tajikistan's Ministry of Industry and New Technologies said in January 2015 that six new cement plants would be established within the next two years. By improving the country's cement sector, which currently is comprised of 10 plants, Tajikistan expects to become a net cement exporter. Earlier, Tajikistan imported cement in large quantities from Pakistan, Iran and China.
Indian government to cancel India Cements plant
24 September 2015India: The government has decided to cancel the allotment of a cement plant given to India Cements in Gumma, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh.
The decision was taken after India Cements expressed its unwillingness to start works, according to local media. "It has been decided to cancel the allotment as the company is no longer keen to set up the plant and they have failed to show any progress in the years since the allotment was made," said Mukesh Agnihotri, industry minister. He added that the government cabinet would need to confirm the allotment cancellation.
Agnihotri said that the government plans to invite global bids for the proposed cement plant in Chamba have been put on hold as Jaiprakash Associates, which had earlier been given the project, has moved to court. The project in Chamba was allotted to Jaiprakash Associates in 2006 and a memorandum of understanding was signed in February 2007 to establish a 2Mt/yr capacity cement plant.
The industry department issued notices to three cement plants in addition to Jaiprakash Associates as to why their plants should not be cancelled, as they had failed to set up facilities that had been approved several years ago. The three cement plants included units by Lafarge in Alsindi, India Cement in Gumma and Harish Cement in Sundernagar. After finding the replies unsatisfactory, the government cancelled the cement plants allotted to Jaiprakash Associates and India Cements. Some of the companies have already invested a lot of money, but could not start operation due to various factors, including clearances from different agencies like the Ministry of Forest and Environment. In some cases, locals have moved to court against the projects, citing loss of agricultural land and an adverse impact on the health of people.
Cimentos de Mocambique installs kiln filters at Matola
23 September 2015Mozambique: Cimentos de Mocambique, part of Intercement, has concluded the installation of kiln filters at its cement plant in Matola, Maputo. The company invested US$10m in the equipment to reduce air pollution levels in the area.
Holcim's Westport job cuts near as cement import facilities open sooner
23 September 2015New Zealand: Holcim, part of LafargeHolcim, is making faster than expected progress on an operational restructure that will lead to 120 job losses on the west coast.
The New Zealand operation has revealed plans to close its manufacturing plant at Cape Foulwind, Westport, with cement instead to be imported from the Mitsubishi Kanda plant in Fukuoka, Japan, via the Timaru and Auckland ports. Holcim will now close its Westport cement plant in the middle of 2016, with 120 job losses expected. The company said that some employees have switched to other roles.
Holcim is building a 30,000t cement silo at Timaru Port and is spending a similar amount at the Port of Auckland. The company had previously said that the silo and importing facilities would be finished in the second half of 2016. However, Holcim New Zealand country manager Glenda Harvey said that the Timaru facility could be operational in January or February 2016 and that the Auckland facility should be completed in May 2016 rather than June 2016. The Westport cement plant will remain operational until the Auckland import site is fully commissioned, then it will be closed.
When the Timaru and Auckland terminals are completed, there will be about 30 staff employed in sales, operations and technical laboratory roles. Westport cement plant staff have been able to apply for positions at Holcim's Timaru and Auckland operations and also overseas, with a small number having taken up roles in other parts of the business. Workers have redundancy provisions in their contracts. The company has about 40 staff within its Christchurch head office operation and 360 in the country across the cement and aggregates businesses.
Some Westport residents have said that the Westport cement plant site and buildings could be used as an industrial park, for electricity generation or as an eco park. Harvey said there has been no update on the site, or if alternative uses could be found. The cement plant has been operating for 57 years.
Philippines: San Miguel Corporation will invest US$1bn to build five new cement plants in different parts of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The amount is higher than the earlier announced US$800m due to the addition of three new cement plants to the two previously disclosed facilities.
San Miguel president and COO Ramon Ang said that the five new plants would have a total capacity of 10Mt/yr, 2Mt/yr at each plant. The plants are expected to be operational in 2017. The projects will be undertaken by affiliates Northern Cement and Eagle Cement in Pangasinan, Bulacan, Quezon, Cebu and Davao. San Miguel owns a 35% stake in Northern Cement, while Eagle Cement is privately-owned by Ang.
Ang said that now is a good time to invest in cement because a lot of people are investing in real estate. He added that if ever there were ever oversupply, the market would correct in two to three years. The additional 10Mt/yr capacity would bring San Miguel's cement capacity to roughly 16Mt/yr. Ang said that the cement industry of the Philippines currently has 33Mt/yr of cement capacity, which would increase to 43Mt/yr once San Miguel's new cement plants are in place.
UltraTech Cement commissions grinding plant at Jhajjar, Haryana
22 September 2015India: UltraTech Cement has commissioned a 1.6Mt/yr cement grinding plant at Jhajjar, Haryana.
Alkhalij Cement Company to increase production by 50%
22 September 2015Qatar: In an effort to meet growing demand, Alkhalij Cement Company, part of Qatari Investors Group, intends to invest nearly US$220m on a new production line.
The country's construction market is putting strain on cement supply and Firas Tayssir Ibrahim, chief administration officer of Qatari Investors Group, said that the new line is expected to be operational by the first quarter of 2016. The new line is expected to increase cement production by 50%.
Ibrahim's statement was underscored by Alkhalij Cement Company COO Jose Escalera, who emphasised the extraordinary growth in the country's construction sector. "The unprecedented growth in Qatar's construction remains the primary motive of all companies to place more efforts in improving their products and services to meet the terms of this growth and support it with emphasis on quality and effectiveness factors. This has prompted Alkhalij Cement Company to increase its production capacity to cope with the increasing market demands. While the production of clinker will reach around 2Mt/yr and cement around 3Mt/yr by the end of 2015, our projections show that in 2016 and when our new line is operational, we will need to produce close to 4Mt/yr of clinker and 4.5Mt/yr of cement," said Escalera.
Cementos Pacasmayo starts commercial cement production from Piura plant
18 September 2015Peru: Cementos Pacasmayo has begun commercial production from its new Piura cement plant. According to the company, the Piura plant will be the most modern cement plant in Latin America and features a multi-fuel kiln. Its final capacity will be 1.6Mt/yr of cement and 1Mt/yr of clinker.
"I am delighted to announce the beginning of commercial operations at the Piura plant, an important milestone for Cementos Pacasmayo and the Peruvian cement industry," said Humberto Nadal, CEO of Cementos Pacasmayo. "Piura will offer our clients high-quality cement, with improved logistics, while simultaneously lowering our cost of production. We continue to execute this project on time and under budget, demonstrating our expertise in large-scale, advanced facilities. We look forward to moving the plant along its production curve, creating value for all stakeholders."
Grupo Cementos de Chihuahua on the lookout for acquisitions in Central and South America
18 September 2015Mexico/US: Grupo Cementos de Chihuahua (GCC) is ready to grow its operations in the USA and make an acquisition in Central and South America after refinancing its debt and improving its earnings margins via a cost cutting programme, according to local business daily El Universal.
Luis Carlos Arias, director of corporate treasury at GCC, explained that the company currently has only one syndicated bank loan of US$194m, which has been refinanced. As such, it has a more flexible credit structure, which allows it to take advantage of different growth opportunities.
In the US, GCC will invest US$90m in 2015 - 2018 to boost production capacity at its plant in South Dakota by 60% to 1.2Mt/yr. GCC has six cement plants, 117 concrete plants and 21 distribution centres from the north of Mexico to the north of the USA.
According to Arias, GCC is looking for opportunities to expand its business to Central and South America in order to have alternative revenues during the harsh winter in North America, which does not allow production during the coldest months. The company has not decided in which country it could make an acquisition as the cement market is highly concentrated in a few big companies. "There are not many opportunities, we are looking at the region as a whole," said Arias.