This week, Governor Carlos Massa Ratinho Junior attended the inauguration of a new kiln at the Itambé cement plant in Balsa Nova, in the Curitiba Metropolitan Region. The project represents an investment of BRL500m, significantly boosting the company’s production capacity. With the addition of the new equipment, annual clinker output will rise, enabling the plant to increase cement production by 600,000tpa and reach a total capacity of 3Mta.
This expansion translates into substantial benefits for infrastructure and housing. The increased production could supply enough cement to construct around 350km of concrete roads or 120,000 affordable housing units. Equally important, the new furnace incorporates advanced sustainability measures, capable of replacing up to 50 per cent of fossil fuels with renewable alternatives such as biomass and industrial waste.
The plant currently employs 1200 workers, most from Balsa Nova, Campo Largo, and Curitiba. Construction of the furnace also created 5000 direct and indirect jobs over the past two years. The investment is complemented by regional infrastructure projects, including the ongoing widening of the PR-423 highway, reinforcing a cycle of local economic development.
