Cement, Energy and Environment

HEIDELBERG TO DOUBLE CAPACITY TO 6 MT BY 2012 Heidelberg Cement India, which had acquired lndorama Cement and Mysore Cement, is all set to double its capacity from present 3.07 million tonne per annum (Mtpa) to 6Mtpa by March 2012. Heidelberg will add a clinker unit of 1.9 Mtpa to its existing capacity of 1.2 Mtpa at Damoh , Madhya Pradesh and double the capacity of its cement grinding unit to 2 Mtpa there. It will increase cement grinding capacity at its Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, plant by 1.9 Mtpa. The plant currently has a capacity of 0.8 Mtpa. Courtesy: DNA Mumbai, 25.02.2010. HOLCIM TO INCREASE PRODUCTION CAPACITY IN INDIA It has been reported that Holcim Ltd. plans to increase its cement manufacturing capacity in India by 20 per cent by 2015. The company wants to raise its capacity in the country from 50 million t to 60 million t over the next five years. Holcim expects to invest up to US$ 1 billion on two of its three new greenfield plants in the country, each with a manufacturing capacity of 2-3 million tpa. Holcim is present in the country through units ACC Ltd and Ambuja Cements Ltd. Holcim controls a little more than 46 per cent in both of these companies. Courtesy: World Cement, February 10, P12. INDIA CEMENTS IN FUND– RAISING MODE FOR CEMENT MANUFACTURING IN THE NORTH With buoyancy back in the market and cement prices looking up, South India's largest cement player India Cements (ICL) is in a fund-raising mode. Sticking to its capex of over Rs 1,100 crore, the company said it will require funds for expansion and to set up captive power plants. To start with, Indo-Zinc (IZL), which was recently acquired by ICL, has tied up a Rs 300-crore credit from Yes Bank at an interest rate of 10%, for which ICL has provided corporate guarantee. This will be used to part fund IZL's 1.5 million tonne greenfield plant being set up at Banswara in Rajasthan at an investment of Rs 600 crore. The balance Rs. 300 crore will come from ICL by way of equity and sub– ordinated debt. The project also includes a 20 MW captive power plant. ICL had acquired IZL to hasten the process of setting up its first plant in the North, IZL also has mining lease for limestone deposits in Rajasthan. Once the plant goes on stream in the middle of 2010, it will serve the markets of Rajasthan, Madhya Paradesh and Gujarat. Officials also said ICL is looking at raising Rs.300 crore to part finance the Rs. 500 crore capex required for setting up two captive power plants of 50 MW each. Courtesy: The Economic Times, Chennai, March 09, 2010. JAYPEE PLANS RS. 1250 CR BOOST FOR HP CEMENT PLANT Cement and infrastructure firm Jaypee Group will invest Rs. 1,250 crore on raising the cement grinding capacity of its plant in Himachal Pradesh in line with its plans to become the third-largest cement producer in the country by 2012. "We will invest Rs. 1,250 crore on enhancing our cement grinding capacity at our Solan plant and we hope it will take another two years to complete the project," Jaiprakash Associates, flagship company of Jaypee Group, chief financial officer Rahul Kumar said on 16.2.2010. The company has proposed to add another 2.5 million tonne ((Mt) per annum of cement grinding capacity with the projected investment. Currently, it has cement grinding and clinker grinding capacity of 4.5 Mt per annum at Solan Plant, which caters to the northern market, including Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. The group has targeted to have a total cement making capacity of 34 Mt by 2012 from the present level of 20 Mt from all its plants across the country. "We have a vision to become the third-largest cement producer by 2012 with a capacity 34 million tonne," he said. Courtesy: The Financial Express Chandigarh, February 17,2010. 9