Sephaku cement project on track, South Africa

Construction work at Sephaku Cement’s new Aganang plant near Lichtenburg is gathering pace, a company official has said.

Engineering News (EN) reported Aganang project manager, Werner Kieweg, as saying that its Chinese contractor, Sinoma International Engineering, currently had about 238 Chinese employees on site and about 38 local workers. At the peak of construction – expected in January 2013 – some 500 local workers and 1000 Chinese employees are expected to be employed on the project.

Sephaku started construction of the ZAR2.3bn facility in the northwest late last year. Production capacity of the plant will be 2.5Mta. The first cement is scheduled for production on 1 September 2013. Sephaku engineering projects manager Heinrich de Beer said that Aganang plant would ramp up steadily, from a base of about 30%, over the eight months following commissioning to ease into the market.

EN also reported most civil and earthworks have started while an 18km electric fence surrounding the plant was complete. The company is currently constructing an Eskom substation which is expected to be complete by May 2012.