Votorantim Cimentos has reached an agreement with ANCAP for the construction of a cement plant in Uruguay, at an investment cost of US$146 million.
The new greenfield plant, which is expected to begin operation in 2014, will be installed in the district of Treinta y Tres, 286 km from the capital of Montivideu. The plant will have an initial capacity of 750 000 tpa. Artigas will have 60% of the business, while ANCAP and Votorantim Cimentos will own 20% each.
Votorantim Cimentos believes that the plant’s proximity to the southern states of Brazil will contribute to its supply. The company’s President, Walter Schalka, said: “Uruguay is a country with deposits of high quality and a strategic location. With this development, the country becomes an exporter of cement to the south of Brazil, mainly to Rio Grande do Sul”.