10 new cement factories planned

 

By Alyaa Qassem

 

Azzaman, June 13, 2005

 

The Ministry of Industry says it is planning to construct 10 new cement plants across the country, the minister said.

 

The minister, Usama Abdulaziz al-Najafi, did not say how long it would take to build these factories or how much they would cost.

 

He put the capacity of these plants at 10 million tons annually.

 

Unlike other countries in the Middle East, Iraq has significant limestone reserves, making it a competitive and low cost producer of cement.

 

It currently has 18 cement plants with a total installed capacity of over 20 million tons per year.

 

Before U.N. trade sanctions imposed for its 1990 invasion of Kuwait, Iraq actually produced around 10 million tons of which a small portion was exported.

 

But due to U.N. trade sanctions and a decline in demand production declined in the 1990s with only a dozen plants operating.

 

Some plants were looted after the 2003 U.S. invasion and currently only a few plants are reported to be operational.

 

Najafi, the industry minister, said the country would need up to 24 million tons of cement a year to meet the flurry of reconstruction which has yet to start.

 

Iraqi reconstruction has been delayed due to a hike in insurgent attacks and activities.