Cement production in the horn to receive huge boost
By our staff reporter
Lemi National Cement, a massive miller that is anticipated to start production in 2024, discloses that it has completed the rotary kiln closing and kiln tail frame capping in under11 months.
Located in the Amhara region, 130 km north of Addis Ababa, the cement mill is a joint venture (JV) investment between Western International Holdings, based in Hong Kong, and East African Holding, one of the successful corporate conglomerates in Ethiopia.
The largest cement factory in Ethiopia, according to Deputy Project Manager Abebaw Bekele, is capable of producing 10,000 clinker per day from the cement mill.
In terms of clinker production capacity, Abebaw said that it is also the largest on the continent, highlighting that “the preheater has a147 meter length, which makes it the longest preheater in the world.”
After officially beginning in December 2022, the project’s major equipment installation was completed in eleven months. “Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who recently visited the facility, directed that the project be operational within 15 months instead of the original 18 months,” explained Abebaw, adding, “Now, the civil work has fully been accomplished and the equipment installation part has reached at 80 percent.”
“It is a breakthrough for the country, since similar projects are taking up to three years,” he contrasted the progress. Experts stated that rather than being handled by a single business, taking on such large projects in joint ventures is essential to finishing such projects on schedule, “When investments are carried out jointly challenges like financing are bypassed easily.”
According to Buzuayehu Tadele, Chairman of Lemi National Cement and East African Holding Company, Ethiopia would learn from the fresh and excellent experience gained in the logistics industry. He recalled how difficult it was to move large project equipment from the port from the past experience, which has now been eased in this new venture investment.
According to Buzuayehu, the most recent progress made on the project guarantees that it will start up on schedule. The next four months will see the completion of the electrical system and conveyance, enabling the facility to be formally inaugurated in March. The entire cost of Lemi National Cement is six hundred million dollars. It will deliver five million metric tons of cement annually when it begins production. “Our factories will have the capacity to produce eight million tons per annum while our facility located in Dire Dawa will also create a capacity to produce three million metric tons per annum,” stated Abebaw.
The Lemi plant alone, according to the Deputy Project Manager, has the ability to raise cement production by 50 percent, which is a significant contribution to meeting market demand.
The project construction team has overcome numerous challenges, according to Lin Zhong, Executive Director of Sinoma Suzhou, an EPC contractor, including a lack of territorial resources, delayed logistics and transportation, blocked customs clearance procedures, a complex security situation, and low construction efficiency brought on by the rainy season.
As a result, the project has consistently maintained the best possible state in terms of construction organization and technology.
For Ethiopia, Sinoma is nothing new since it has developed many cement mills in previous years. It was recently chosen to build a cement plant at the Melka Jebdu Industrial Park, 19 km west of Dire Dawa and 510 km east of Addis Ababa, through a similar joint venture. The project is said to cost USD 243 million in total.
