Business Reporter
PPC Zimbabwe says its new cement plant construction project in Harare is expected to be completed by March 2016 and upon commissioning will further position the company as the leading cement producer in the country.
Speaking at the launch of a new cement product, Surebuild, last Friday managing director Mr Njombo Nekula said the Environmental Impact Assessment for the project has been approved and the construction of the $80 million cement plant has commenced.
“The EIA for the project has been approved and construction has started and we are expecting the plant to be functional by March 2016,” said Mr Nekula.
The construction of a 100 tonnes per hour cement plant, he said will be funded through corporate loans.
PPC Zimbabwe recently announced that it had secured about $18 million to finance the construction project.
The new mill in Harare is expected to give the company a competitive advantage and reduce costs as production was currently done away from the main market in Bulawayo. The company has cement manufacturing plants at Cementside in Bulawayo and Colleen Bawn in Matabeleland South.
Speaking on the new cement product Surebuild, Mr Nekula said the product was targeted at concrete and brick makers and is expected to further consolidate the company’s position as one of the leading cement producers in the country.