Chilean cement producer Cementos Bio Bio (CBB) in Bio Bio region, southern Chile, will invest $40m in its forestry operations within the next nine years, CBB general manager, Ulises Palli, said. The forestry investments will include purchases of forests and areas for forest planting. CBB priority area for forestry investments is Maule region, central Chile. Meanwhile, CBB also plans to invest $7.0m in the construction of a cement silo. CBB’s three cement plants in Talcahuano, southern Chile, Curico, central Chile, and Antofagasta, northern Chile, currently produce 1.07Mta. The annual installed capacity of the three plants totals 2.25Mta
CBB projects a total investment of $200m in improvement and expansion of the output of its subsidiaries in the next five years. The major part of the investment will finance its ceramic subsidiary Ceramicas Industriales (CISA). CBB has a 91.5 per cent stake in CISA. CISA has production centres in Chile, the USA, Venezuela and Ecuador. CISA considers opening a plant in China in partnership with local investors. The company also plans enlarging its plants in Chile, Venezuela and Ecuador, which are currently working at top capacity.
