5 days ago
Algeria to build two green cement plants
Algeria has launched a project to build two new low-carbon green cement plants with a combined capacity of 3.5 million tonnes per year as part of a drive to expand eco-friendly industries in construction and other sectors.
The North African OPEC producer is also expanding an existing cement plant in the Northern Djelfa city by around 1.5 million tonnes of green cement.
The new projects will boost the gas-rich country's cement capacity to a record high of around 42 million tonnes per year.
Algeria's press reported on Monday that the country's actual cement demand is around 30 million tonnes per year, allowing it to export a surplus of nearly 12 million tonnes.
Algerian Minister of Industry Sifi Ghrieb announced on Monday the launching of the two new green cement projects in Djelfa and Relizane in Central Algeria.
He said the two plants have an output capacity of around 1.5 million and two million tonnes per year respectively while another nearby cement plant would be expanded by a green cement production line with a capacity of 1.5 million tonnes.
'The Minister also announced plans to create a national green cement production council to promote such industries,' Elkhabar and other local newspapers said.
Ghrieb did not mention details of these projects nor did he identify the contractor but in March he had discussed plans to expand Djelfa plant with a delegation from the China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC).
Algeria, one of the world's largest gas exporters, is actively involved in the production and promotion of green cement, an eco-friendly alternative to traditional cement, with a focus on reducing carbon emissions and promoting sustainable construction. Companies like Lafarge Algeria are leading the way in this transition, developing reduced-CO2 cement and investing in projects that utilise industrial byproducts for cement production.
A new green cement plant, a partnership between Algerian, Emirati, and Indian entities, is under construction in the Northern El Milia city, according to local reports.
The plant will utilise slag and fly ash from a nearby power station and steel complex, and it will have a capacity of two million tonnes per year.
(Writing by Nadim Kawach; Editing by Anoop Menon)
