Ethiopia’s fuel diversification
Dr Clark takes part in a one-day cement industry workshop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The workshop was arranged by the Ethiopian Society of Chemical Engineers and attracted an attendance of well in excess of 100, including the State Minister of Industry, Dr Mebrahtu Meles. The theme of the moderator’s presentation was ‘Fuel diversification for the Ethiopian cement industry’.
New entrant Derba Midroc Cement has elected to fire its kilns with imported coal, backed up by
heavy fuel oil, reducing the reliance on a single fuel source
The fuels used in firing a cement kiln typically account for more than 30 per cent of production costs and are the highest item of the total manufacturing costs. Therefore, it is not surprising that there has been and continues to be an evolution in the fuels used for firing cement kilns. In Ethiopia such fuels consume a greater proportion of production costs as all fuels need to be imported via Djibouti and transported to the country’s cement factories.
