Azerbaijan’s Norm cement plant reaches estimated capacity

The Norm cement plant in Azerbaijan reached its estimated production capacity within six months of commencing operations. The plant was inaugurated by President Ilham Aliyev in July 2014. It has a production capacity of 5000 tpd and 2 million tpy of clinker and cement, respectively.

The Norm Group has confirmed that no accidents occurred during the construction of the plant, and that a health and safety programme has been implemented and the necessary procedures for gaining the international OHSAS 18001 certificate for work safety have been completed.

Work is underway to increase the range of products manufactured at the plant and expansion of the facility’s storage capacity has been planned to accommodate this. This includes the construction of a new 15 000 t, six-section cement silo. According to the group, six types of cement will be available this year. Sulfate-resistant cement has been added to the cement brands produced by the Norm Group in order to meet demand from construction projects in offshore territories and those involving alkali soil. Oil well cement is also on the agenda. By producing oil well cement that meets American Petroleum Institute Standards, Norm hopes that Azerbaijan will become a leading manufacturer of this cement type in the Caspian region, exporting to oil producing countries in the area.

In addition to entering the international market, Norm’s CEO, Hasan Yalcinkaya, told Trend.az that the company aims to reduce the volume of cement that Azerbaijan imports. At present, exports from neighbouring countries meet around 40% of domestic demand.

Adapted from press release by Louise Fordham

Additional sources:

• Trend.az.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/europe-cis/28012015/norm-cement-meets-estimated-capacity-within-6-months-of-startup-227/