Displaying items by tag: Turkmenistan

Iran: Cement production rose by 14.4% year-on-year to 35.6Mt in the first half of the local calendar year that started in March 2020 from 31.1Mt in the same period in the previous year. The sector exported 5.8Mt of cement with a value of US$128m to 28 countries according to the Mehr News Agency. India, Afghanistan, Russia, Iraq, Qatar, Kenya, Kuwait, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, China and Oman were among the export destinations of cement.

Iran: Data from the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) shows that cement producers exported 5.85Mt of cement in the first five months of the local 2021 financial year, which began on 20 March 2020. The value of cement exports fell by 52% year-on-year to US$128m from US$266m, according to the Tehran Times newspaper. Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan were the top destination for the exports. Cement was also sent to India, Russia, Qatar, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, China, and Oman.

In its 2020 financial year Iran exported a total of US$7.0bn-worth of building materials and produced 85Mt of cement against a domestic consumption of 65Mt.

Turkmenistan: Turkmencement’s Lebap cement plant in Koytendag, Lebap region produced 419,000t of cement over the first seven months of 2020, up by 0.4% from 417,000t over the corresponding period of 2019. Turkmenportal News has reported that the rise is due to the start of addition of porphyritic basalt to the clinker mix.

Turkmenistan: Construction firm Turkmen Enjam has begun the second stage of construction of the 1Mt/yr Lebap plant in the Lebap region with the laying of foundation of several auxiliary facilities. The Zolotoy Vek newspaper has reported that development of the 370,000m² site is scheduled for completion in 2022 and will produce cement using gypsum and porphyritic basalt from the Ufra deposit in the Balkan region.

Turkmenistan: President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has signed a degree announcing the start of phase two of construction of the Baharden and Lebap cement plants in July 2020. Turkmenistan Today State News Agency has announced that the decree permits the Ministry of Industry and Construction to conclude contracts with Beyik-Bina for construction of the Baharden plant and with Turkmen Enjam for construction of the Lebap plant, each with a 1.0Mt/yr integrated capacity. Both projects are scheduled for completion in 2020.

Turkmenistan: Cabinet of Ministers’ Deputy Chair Shamuhammet Durdylyev has announced plans for the country to produce a new grade of cement. Turkmenpor News has reported that the cement, designated 500-G20-K, will contain basalt porphyries. Durdylyev has said that the Ufra deposit in the Balkan region of western Turkmenistan will supply the basalt porphyries, adding, “These mineral substances significantly improve the quality of cement.”

The move’s aim is reportedly to boost Turkmen cement plants’ productivity without increasing the reliance on imports.

Uzbekistan: Uzbekistan imported 3.27Mt of cement in 2019, down by 6.8% year-on-year from 3.51Mt in 2018. The value of cement imported fell by 13% to US$154m from US$176m. Trend newspaper has reported that cement imports from Kazakhstan fell by 32% to 0.97Mt from 1.43Mt. Imports from Tajikistan and Turkmenistan also fell, but rose by 85% from Iran, to 0.59Mt from 0.32Mt.

Uzbekistan, which has a 12.9Mt/yr installed cement production capacity, removed its zero rate of customs duty on cement in October 2019 in order to help align domestic demand with production.

Turkmenistan: Iron ore reserves of between 70Mt and 75Mt of around 20% iron recently discovered in the Turkmenbeshi district of western Turkmenistan could replace other ingredients in ordinary Portland cement (OPC) clinker production in the region, resulting in savings of US$10m/yr for producers. Trend News has reported that the deposits, located near Turkmencement’s 1.3Mt/yr integrated Kelete plant and Polimeks’ 1.0Mt/yr integrated Jebel plant, could sustain production for a century.

Turkmenistan: President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has instructed the Türkmensenagat State Agency to build three new plants using foreign investment. During a working meeting with the management of industrial and communication sectors he said that the new plants were required to satisfy local demand and increases exports, according to the Central Asian News Service.

Turkmenistan: Lebap Cement plant produced nearly 0.74Mt of cement in the first half of 2019, exporting around 0.24Mt (32.5%). The plant has a capacity of 1.5Mt/yr but only made 0.94Mt in 2018, giving it a capacity utilisation rate of 63%. However, if Lebap continues to produce cement at the rate seen in the first half of 2019, it will have operated at nearly 100% of its capacity across the calendar year.