The Indonesian cement company PT Semen Tonasa in South Sulawesi province is planning to build a new plant by the end of 2006, to anticipate cement shortages in 2008, general manager Sattar Taba said here on Wednesday.  According to Sattar, the plan to construct the factory was under intensive study by company shareholders.   He added that it would be built at the end of this year and was expected to be completed early in 2009.  The funds needed to build the cement factory would be taken from the company’s retained earnings, he said.  The factory is expected to produce 2.5Mta cement.
 
About 20 per cent or 700,000t of the company’s production is exported to various countries such as Chile, Bangladesh and the Middle East, while the rest is for domestic needs, especially for South Sulawesi and the eastern parts of Indonesia.