Gazakh Cement plant, Azerbaijan, opened by President

The new line of the Gazakh Cement plant was officially opened last week in Azerbaijan. Ilham Aliyev, the country’s President, attended the ceremony and toured parts of the plant during his visit.

The project was an investment by Akkord Industry Construction Investment Corporation OJSC and the International Bank of Azerbaijan OJSC. Initially begun in 2010, the completed line has a capacity of 2500 tpd of clinker or 1 million tpa of cement.

Around this time last year, the President attended the inauguration of the Holcim (Azerbaijan) OJSC cement plant, previously called Garadagh Cement. The reconstructed plant, which was originally constructed in 1949, switched from the wet process to the dry process and upped its cement production capacity to 1.7 million tpa. The company’s website currently shows active tenders for the scope of work for a new tyre feeding system, indicating a move towards alternative fuels.

Azerbaijan is home to approximately 9 million people and is experiencing an oil and gas boom that is fuelling cement demand. The cement market is expected to grow 2.5% between 2012 and 2016.

Written by Katherine Guenioui.