A 36 megawatt thermal power plant is ensuring the full operation of the new cement production plant, located in Matutuíne district in Maputo province.
Called Mozambique Dugongo Cimentos, SA, the new plant represents an investment of around US$330 million, with West International Holding Limited as the biggest shareholder.
The information was provided by the factory’s deputy managing director, Isac Sa, who also said that the unit was already operating in its experimental phase.
The source added that within the plant there are three generator sets and turbines with a capacity of 12 megawatts each.
According to the manager, to ensure the plant’s operation, the company is importing coal from neighbouring South Africa.
He explained that the option for imports results from the fact that the negotiations within the country have not resulted in a logistical agreement.
Isac Sa also said that the trial phase of the plant’s operation would take a month and a half, and that the production process was due to begin next February.
Initially, the plant will reach a volume of 2,000 tonnes of cement per day in order to operate its maximum installed capacity of 5,000 tonnes over the next three to six months.
It should be noted that the start-up of the new cement plant is seen both by the local community and by the government as an opportunity to increase supply and, consequently, to reduce market prices.
The factory has a production capacity of 1.8 million tonnes per year, employing 500 people, including 400 Mozambicans.
Unlike the others, the Matutuíne plant has the particularity of using local raw material, namely the clinquer.
The clinquer, to be produced by the factory, will be supplied to other cement production units in Mozambique, as this raw material is currently imported from various markets, which may contribute not only to saving foreign exchange, but also to reducing production costs with gains for the final consumer.
