Lafarge

The construction of a new, 2.5Mtpa dry process cement works near Lviv (Lvov, Lemberg) in the Ukraine for approximately €300m, which has been on the plans since 2007, and where work should have been started in 2011 and completed in 2014, has been postponed indefinitely. The site had been secured for the works 13km from the existing Mykolaivtsement works. The existing Lviv works, which has around 12% of the Ukrainian market, has been converted to burn mainly coal, rather than expensive imported gas.

Lafarge Cement Zimbabwe is seeing improvement in demand and expects to raise capacity utilisation from 72%, at present, to 90% next year. The French parent company is providing US$3m to refurnish plant and machinery at the 0.45Mtpa works.