Construction of Jamaica’s second cement-production plant is expected to begin within the next three months if Canadian engineering firm Cemcorp receives approval from the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), the Ministry of Energy and Mining and the parish councils of St Catherine and Clarendon.

Cemcorp’s chief executive officer, Armand Nahmiache, who is in the island undertaking preparatory work for the construction project, said the approval process was far advanced and expects to break ground within 90 days.

Nahmiache, in an interview with the Financial Gleaner last week, said financing is already in place for the proposed US$340m, 1.5Mta capacity plant to be built at Port Esquivel in St Catherine, and which will operate under the name Cement Jamaica Limited.

He said the new cement company was intended to serve the Caribbean as a whole. "The Caribbean is controlled by one or two companies," he said, adding that "we are of the view that there is room for another player."
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