Saudi White Cement Co. (SWC) signed a US$40.7mn contract with Frances Fives FCB as part of the companys plans to expand daily production capacity to 1,000 tonnes from the current capacity of 700 tonnes, reported Saudi-based Al Riyadh.
SWC Chairman Prince Faisal bin Abdul Majid bin Abdulaziz was reported as stating that the expansion project, which is set to be finished in mid-2012, will boost the plant's annual output to 350,000 tonnes which will represent about 60 per cent of local demand for white cement.
SWC is the kingdom's only white cement producer and was established in 1997 with a capital of US$80mn. The Saudi government is pushing ahead with ambitious plans to spend US$ 400bn on infrastructure projects over the next five years.
This will support increased demand for cement and combined with licences for new projects and expansions of existing plants the country's production capacity is forecast to reach 54mn tonnes by the end of 2010.
