Qatar cement demand forecast to rise
The average demand for cement in Qatar is estimated at 4.8Mta in 2012-17, which is higher than the current level, according to a Global Investment House report.
“Estimates of the demand for 2012 provided by government authorities to the companies in Qatar are higher than the current demand of 3.5-4Mta,” the investment house said in its latest quarterly report on the GCC (Gulf Co-operation Council) cement sector.
Estimating the average demand for cement at 4.8Mta in 2012-17, it said as a result, Qatar National Cement had announced that it was increasing its capacity by 0.93mta to 5.36mta and also revealed plans for another mill for grinding slag.
“The company has not yet given the go-ahead to any of the equipment supplier or contractor for the new mill but once assigned it would not take more than 15-18 months to raise the capacity to desired levels,” the report said.
Cement prices in Qatar have remained mostly constant for the past couple of years. In the first half of this year, the average cement prices remained around the same at US$68.7/t although there were pressures for upward movement in view of the projected 4.8Mta demand.
We believe cement prices to remain flat in Qatar because of lesser local players and government control over prices,” it added.
Published under Cement News
