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President inaugurates fourth Holcim Village in Akmeemana 22 September 2015
Sri Lanka: The Holcim Village in Akmeemana, Galle, which was constructed by Holcim under its Sustainable Development Project and following its pledge for Livable Communities, has been inaugurated by president Maitripala Sirisena.
The president unveiled a plaque to mark the opening of the Holcim Village and distributed deeds to recipients. The village consists of 14 households and is the fourth of its kind. The Galle project was constructed after Holcim's similar projects in Medirigiriya, Eluwankulama and Puttalam and was designed to cater to the needs of the community surrounding the Ruhunu Cement plant.
The CEO of Holcim Lanka, Philippe Richart, said that the newly-established village was proof of the company's commitment to serve surrounding communities and support their needs.
UltraTech Cement commissions grinding plant at Jhajjar, Haryana 22 September 2015
India: UltraTech Cement has commissioned a 1.6Mt/yr cement grinding plant at Jhajjar, Haryana.
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.
Cement shortages in Argentina blamed on gas shortages 21 September 2015
Argentina: Cement producers are reportedly facing difficulty with gas supplies that are causing cement shortages, according to iProfessional. Local media reports a 70% fall in cement supply in some locations. Shortages are being recorded in Jujuy, Formosa, Misiones, Santa Fe and Chaco.
Ohorongo Cement supplying cement to build St Helena airport 21 September 2015
St Helena/Namibia: Ohorongo Cement has supplied 24,604t of cement towards the construction of the first-ever airport at St Helena island in the South Atlantic Ocean. It will continue to supply cement until the project is finished. The US$419m project is being developed by Basil Read and covers construction of the St Helena Airport and Permanent Wharf. Completion is planned by February 2016, according to local media.
Other projects the Namibian cement producer is supplying include the Husab Mine, Neckertal Dam, Walvis Bay Namport Harbour Project, an acid plant at Tsumeb and construction projects in Zambia and Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The company enjoys infant industry protection awarded by the Namibian government in 2013 for eight years. It recently announced that the Development Bank of Namibia had increased its stake to 11.72%.