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FLSmidth wins Euro40m PT Semen Padang contract 08 January 2014
Indonesia: FLSmidth has received an order worth Euro40m from PT Semen Padang for a cement production line with a capacity of 8000t/day. The plant is located in Indarung, just outside the city of Padang in West Sumatra.
The order includes equipment for the main part of the production line, including a raw mill, coal mill, preheater, kiln, burner, clinker cooler and silo equipment as well as a complete control system for the entire plant. This new line will be the sixth line at the plant site. Four of the other five lines at the plant were supplied by FLSmidth.
PT Semen Padang is part of Semen Indonesia Group, Indonesia's largest cement producer with a total cement production output of 30Mt.
UAE cement producers defend exports to Oman 08 January 2014
UAE: Cement producers in United Arab Emirates (UAE) have defended their right to export to Oman amidst calls for curbs on imports. Raysut Cement, Oman's largest cement producer, has asked the Government of Oman to implement a ceiling on UAE imports, according to local media. However, UAE producers deny that they are flooding the Oman market.
"There's a shortage and we are covering that shortage," said Suliman Ali Abdullah Al Shehi, a sales manager at Gulf Cement. Raysut Cement has said that the market only needs 1Mt/yr of cement but that UAE producers are exporting 2.5Mt/yr. However UAE producer Fujairah Cement has estimated demand at nearly 3Mt/yr.
Raysut Cement has requested the government in Oman to cap UAE cement imports and to limit the load on each lorry crossing the border from the UAE. The UAE produces over 24Mt/yr according to the Ministry of Economy. Nearly 60% of the total cement production is exported to neighbouring countries in the region.
Dangote hunts land for cement plant in Nepal 08 January 2014
Nepal: Dangote Group has asked the government of Nepal to help it find land to build a cement plant with an investment of US$800m. The Nigerian-based cement producer announced that it has been looking at Dang, Makwanpur and Dhading districts as possible locations following a meeting between Dangote's CEO KR Rao and the Nepalese Finance Minister Shankar Prasad Koirala.
Dangote has asked the Nepalese government to provide 30MW of power for the project. It intends to generate another 30MW for the plant by using a captive power plant.
In late 2013 the Investment Board Nepal (IBN) gave clearance for Dangote to invest in a cement plant in Nepal. Dangote will spend US$550m the first phase of its investment plan in Nepal.
Cement producers to boost shipping capacity in Japan 08 January 2014
Japan: Cement producers in Japan aim to upgrade their shipping fleets following brisk demand from the reviving construction industry. Three cement producers are expected to spend more than US$95m to acquire new and used vessels in early 2014 according to Nikkei Report. Roughly 70% of cement is moved by sea in Japan.
SumitomoOsaka Cement will spend US$65m, first adding a large ship that can carry 8000t in February 2013 and then purchasing two 2000t ships and one 5500t ship after April 2015. Following the decommissioning of three ships the company will expand its fleet to 20 ships with a combined capacity of 93,000t in 2015 from 19 vessels with a capacity of 82,000t in 2013.
Ube-Mitsubishi Cement plans to start using three new large ships, each with a capacity of roughly 7000 - 12,000t, from February 2014. The company is expected to spend about US$14m on the additions, two of which will be newly built and the other rented.
Taiheiyo Cement will add three large ships for about US$19m in 2014 or later.
Japanese cement producer reduced their shipping fleets following declines in the market in the early 1990s. A reversal of this trend has been attributed to growing construction in large cities, rebuilding after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami and an anticipated rise in demand ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
New environmental projects for Eurocement 08 January 2014
Russia: Ruslan Ponomarev, deputy to the chief technical officer of the Voronezh branch of Eurocement, introduced a project for processing municipal and industrial waste as an alternative fuel in cement production at an environmental conference held in Voronezh, Russia, in December 2013.
Particular attention was given to issues involving the technical specifications and advantages of solid waste processing in cement kilns. Eurocement's new power plant in Voronezh allows for up to 300t/yr of waste to be disposed of. Thanks to the establishment of a new removal system, the project will allow the region, which has a population of over 2.5m, to cut its normal waste disposal by 90%.
Belgorod Region Governor, Evgeny Savchenko, met with the president of Eurocement, Mikhail Skorokhod, to discuss prospects for the construction of new cement production lines at Belgorodskiy Cement and Oskolcement. The construction of new lines will reduce the amount of clinker kilns at Oskolcement and Belgorodskiy Cement from six and seven respectively to one at each plant, significantly improving the environmental impact. Energy reduction is expected to reach approximately 30% and fuel consumption can be reduced more than two-fold.
"We are pleased to be working with Eurocement Group. The implementation of construction projects at two cement plants is bringing a completely new level of environmental awareness, allowing a tremendous reduction in manufacturing emissions," said Savchenko.
Mikhail Skorokhod also commented on the project: "Eurocement Group is involved in the continuous modernisation of its production facilities, in order to improve product quality, reduce energy costs and improve the environment. The transition to new technology platforms will be done without interrupting the existing production lines. Regional projects will provide orders for the construction sector in the region. This project will also provide an opportunity to create a completely new situation and quality of life both for the factory workers and residents of Belgorod and Stary Oskol."