Suez Cement, Italcementi’s Egyptian arm, is reportedly planning a EGP300 million investment to convert two of its four plants to burn coal, as the natural gas shortage continues. The conversion project is estimated to take 6 – 8 months. The Ministry of Environment must grant final approval for the project, but has agreed to coal imports to address power shortages.
Cement production in Egypt has been badly hit by fuel shortages, which led to a 50% decline in production at Suez Cement Company in the first quarter. The industry has been appealing to the government to allow coal imports for some time after natural gas supply to factories was reduced to conserve energy resources. However, there has been a big movement against the use of coal on environmental and health grounds. The Egyptian Centre for Economic and Social Rights has filed a lawsuit against the interim Prime Minister, the President and the ministers of trade, petroleum, electricity and environmental affairs to attempt to block the use of coal in Egypt.
Edited from various sources by Katherine Guenioui