Misr Beni Suef Cement announced that net profit for the first half of 2012 reached EGP188m (US$31m) versus net profit of EGP155m in the same period of last year.

Meanwhile, the company said it lost EGP60m due to an interruption of electricity supplies causing productivity to decline by 70 per cent and output falling to 8000tpd from the usual 11,000tpd.