Egypt has shut down two Torah Cement production lines and filed a case on charges the company damaged the environment, the environment ministry said on Tuesday.
 
Torah is majority owned by Suez Cement.
 
"Despite providing the firm with all technical cooperation to cut emissions and reduce environmental pollution, the firm has continued to violate environmental law and emit pollutants causing hazard to the community," the ministry said in a statement.
 
Torah said in response it had met environmental authorities this week and agreed efforts to cut emissions and slash pollution were on target.
 
Suez Cement’s managing director told Reuters in March the group planned on relocating 2.5Mt of Torah’s production capacity to a new, energy-efficient site east of the capital at a cost of more than E£3bn, in an effort to meet other environmental decrees.