Cemena Holding Company, a Middle East and North Africa (Mena)-based cement holding company, yesterday said it has signed an agreement with Sinoma CBMI Construction Company Ltd., a subsidiary of Sinoma Group, to commence construction of a cement plant in Syria.
The plant, which will be Cemena's second after Falcon, a cement plant in Bahrain, will have a production capacity of 6,400 tonnes per day with two production lines, 3,200 tonnes per day on each line.
The construction of phase one will start next month and it is expected that initial production will start in 18 months. The plant is strategically located in Jebel Al Kahlah ? halfway between the Syrian capital Damascus and Syria's second largest city of Homs.
The plant will benefit from huge demand in the fast growing Syrian market and it will also supply neighbouring countries such as Iraq where state infrastructure projects, and private sector development have created substantial demand for cement.
Following the signing of the agreement, Hesham Al Rayes, Chairman of Cemena Holding Company, commented: "Following successful completion of our plant in Bahrain last year, we are now building one in Syria on one of the highest reserves of limestone in the country.
"Another announcement will be made soon for signing a further agreement to build a plant in North Africa which will enable us to cover the Mena region and tap into another highly growing market."
Sinoma CBMI is one of the largest specialists in the construction of cement plants in China. Tong Laigou, General Manager of Sinoma CBMI Construction Company Ltd, said, "... Cemena is a highly professional company with a great potential for growth and we are pleased to be granted this opportunity to start a relationship with the company."
"We look forward to further expanding the relationship through building plants in other locations which we are currently studying alongside."
Cement consumption in Syria is increasing by 5.2 per cent per annum due to the increasing number of real estate and infrastructure projects, said Salah Sahrif, Acting CEO of Cemena Holding Company.
"We aim to fill the gap in this growing market. We are extremely pleased to be establishing a plant in such a market as being one of the best in our portfolio covering Syria and Iraq," he added.
Cemena is a Bahrain-based holding company that focuses on developing cement plants in the Middle East and North Africa. It was founded by a number of financial institutions and private investors. The company was launched in 2008 with the aim of establishing one of the largest cement holding companies in the Mena region.
