President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan has attended the official inauguration of Holcim’s new dry-process line at its Garadagh cement plant in Baku.

The new 1.7Mta kiln replaces the existing wet-process production and involved an investment of EUR300m. The modernisation project will enable higher production volumes, lower fuel and energy consumption and reduce emissions from the cement manufacturing process.

The first clinker was produced by this new line at the end of last year. The investment is set to strengthen Holcim’s position in this attractive market.