The Italcementi group has held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new kiln line at its Shymkent Cement in south Kazakhstan.

Plant managing director, Gabriel Morin, said the capacity of the new dry-process cement line would be 1.2Mta. The project will take 20 months to complete, Kazakhstan General Newswire reported.

"The new cement making technology line is expected to produce first clinker in mid-2015." After the launch of the new line, the old kiln will be shut down, Shymkent Cement's general director noted.

The 1.28Mta Shymkent Cement plant has been part of the Italcementi group since 1998.