Orascom behind Algeria’s first white cement plant

Orascom Construction Industries, which is rapidly growing its cement interests, has placed a EUR 111m contract with F. L. Smidth to supply equipment for a white cement plant that it is building in northern Algeria.  Orascom, which already owns 100% of Algerian Cement Company, that started production at its 2.2Mt grey cement plant last year, with a doubling of capacity already announced, hopes to bring the white cement plant, Algeria’s first, on stream around the middle of 2007.  The plant, which will be located within easy reach of the ports of Oran and Mostaganem, will have a kiln with pre-heater and a rotary cooler and is to be equipped with two packaging lines.  Its design capacity of 1500tpd is around one and a half times Algerian present consumption rate of white cement that stands at around 0.26Mta.