Eight cement plants included in 20 cement expansion projects will be put into operation in 2007, according to the Vietnam Cement Corporation. These factories will raise the cement industry’s capacity to 38Mt of cement per year. In addition Vietnam will not need to import clinker for production, the corporation said.   The industry now produces 16.4Mt of clinker and 24Mt of cement per year, 50 per cent of which is made by the corporation’s nine members, the corporation said.  However, the industry’s current supply only meets 70 per cent of domestic demand.

The new factories are Phuc Son, Song Gianh, Ha Long, Thang Long, Cam Pha, Hoang Thach 3, Thai Nguyen and Binh Phuoc cement plants.  Four other cement plants will be operational this year, increasing the nation’s overall cement output to 30Mt