Mozambique plant expands cement capacity

Cimpor’s Cimentos de Moçambique is increasing its cement capacity to 2.4 million tpa, according to a recent statement from the InterCement-controlled company, which is part of Brazil’s Camargo Corrêa. A new mill at its Dondo facility will add 0.4 million tpa to the group’s existing capacity once it enters production. It is currently in the testing phase and has surpassed its daily installed production capacity rates.

“With this organic growth, Cimentos de Moçambique increases its annual production capacity by around half a million tons of cement, more than doubling the current capacity of the Dondo plant, which supplies the markets of Sofala, Tete, Manica and southern Zambézia provinces,” the company said in a statement.

Earlier this year, Cimentos de Moçambique signed a rental contract on a mill near the Matola plant, adding a further 220 000 tpa to its cement production capacity.

Demand exceeds supply in Mozambique, where the government has decided to oversee new capacity additions to ensure the development of the country’s cement industry. In line with this, plans for a new 500 000 tpa plant in the Sofala province were announced at the beginning of September, though electricity supply is causing an issue. Pakistan’s DG Khan Cement was looking into the possibility of setting up a production facility in Mozambique, but abandoned the idea last month in favour of expanding capacity at home. Lack of infrastructure was listed as one reason why the company decided against going ahead with the project.

Written by Katherine Guenioui