Carmeuse to buy Romanian limestone plant

Carmeuse Central Europe, a unit of Belgium’s limestone producer Carmeuse, plans to expand its Romanian operations by acquiring the limestone plant Romcif from Germany’s cement producer HeidelbergCement for Euro7.0m. Carmeuse Central Europe is the company’s consolidation vehicle for the region, in which the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) holds 25 per cent.

The acquisition of Romcif plant, located in Fieni, southern Romania, will propel Carmeuse Central Europe into the leading position on the Romanian limestone market, with a 26 per cent share, Ziarul Financiar daily said.  Romanian limestone sales are estimated at Euro30-31m a year.

The Romanian arm of Carmeuse Central Europe reported an output of 230,000t for 2003, operating three limestone plants in the country. Its turnover for last year totalled Euro 7.0m Carmeuse Group operates in over 100 locations worldwide, with a strong presence in western and central Europe, as well as North America, posting a turnover of Euro 850m in 2003.