Chilean cement company Empresas Melon has submitted the EIS for a US$20m cement grinding plant to national environment authority Conama.

The plant would be built in southern Region X capital Puerto Montt, and have a 300,000tpa capacity. Once approved, the plant could begin operations in the first half of 2007. 

The plant would focus on supplying the country’s south and producing three cement types. It would allow the company’s current La Calera, 1.5Mta plant in central Region V to concentrate on the central part of the country.