HeidelbergCement expand cement capacity in Liberia
Company commissions new 500,000 tonnes per annum cement mill in Liberian capital city
IN Liberia, HeidelbergCement have successfully commissioned a new cement mill at their cement grinding plant in the capital city of Monrovia. The investment in the new mill, which has an annual capacity of 0.5 million tonnes, amounted to US$14 million.
Liberian subsidiary Cemenco is the only cement producer in the country and has a strong market position. The company is part of HeidelbergCement’s network of cement grinding facilities on the West African coast supporting the Group’s regional strategic presence.
‘The construction of the new cement mill in Liberia is in line with our strategy of modernizing and expanding clinker and cement capacities in emerging markets,’ said Dr Bernd Scheifele, chairman of the managing board of HeidelbergCement.
‘In particular, the countries of sub-Saharan Africa have a very high growth potential due to their early stage of industrialization. In Ghana, we recently increased the cement grinding capacity at our Tema cement plant and are currently building a new cement mill in Takoradi.
‘Together with our existing plants in this region, the new mill in Liberia strengthens our coastal network in West Africa.’
Investment in the new cement grinding facility in Liberia includes a two-chambered, 65-tonnes/h ball mill with high-efficiency separator, filter, fan, and flow meter. The power supply to the new grinding mill is provided via a 5.7MW generator plant on a rental basis.
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the economic outlook for Liberia and the sub-Saharan countries is positive, with GDP expected to grow by 7.5% in Liberia in 2013, and by 5–6% in sub-Saharan countries in general in 2013 and 2014. Cement demand is also expected to rise benefiting from infrastructure projects and the mining industry.
HeidelbergCement are currently conducting investment projects in sub-Saharan Africa amounting to almost US$400 million. They include the expansion of cement capacity by about 3 million tonnes and of clinker capacity by 1.5 million tonnes.
