Jordan Cement Factories Company (JCFC) will invest JD20m to expand its production capacity at the Rashadiyah factory, a JCFC statement said.

According to General Manager Rasheed Ben Yakhlef, "the JCFC would begin its expansion plans in the first quarter of 2007 to raise production capacity to 4.8Mt.

"The company would increase this figure to 5.5Mt by the end of 2008 through developing and extending the Rashadiyah factory production lines," he indicated in the statement.

Besides the expansion project which would add 300,000t annually to the Rashadiyah factory output, the company will spend JD17m during the period 2005-2008 "to improve the firm’s filtering system".

He said the JCFC is also following up with its modernisation process for handling raw materials from the extraction sites to the factories.

Under a memorandum of understanding signed with the Natural Resources Authority last year, the JCFC is carrying out an experiment to utilise oil shale from the Lajoon area in Karak.