Cementos Argos is to expand its Sogamoso cement plant, located in the Boyacá department of Colombia, with a new 2.3Mta line, involving an investment of US$450m.

The strategic location of the Sogamoso plant will enable the Colombian cement market leader to serve the Bogota market as well as growing demand in the centre of Colombia where around 70 per cent of cement consumption for the country’s infrastructure plant will be concentrated. As well as Bogota, the location of the plant allows for efficient access to the Eastern Plains, Santander and North Santander, Argos noted.

"This investment reflects our confidence and commitment to the development of Colombia. Factors such as institutional and regulatory strengthening for infrastructure development; the important 4G projects for more than $25bn, and greater resources for housing development, will drive the growth in cement consumption in the next few years, and as a Colombian company, we are committed to assisting the country in its development,” said Jorge Mario Velásquez, Argos CEO.

The new project will boost Argos’ installed capacity in Colombia from 9.5Mta to 11.8Mta, an increase of 24 per cent. Completion of the Sogamoso expansion is scheduled for 2018.

Highlighting the operational efficiency of the new line, Argos said that up to 40 per cent of fossil fuels would be replaced with alternative plants. Water and fuel consumption will be 24 per cent and 18 per cent lower than at standard plants, respectively, while emissions of particulate matter will be 67 per cent below the national limit. . Cementos Argos will also invest in developing the local community’s educational infrastructure.

“The intensive infrastructure programmes carried out in neighbouring countries such as Panama, Peru and Ecuador, have propelled the simultaneous decrease in unemployment rates and upsurge in home construction, creating a virtuous cycle to improve people’s quality of life, which we wish to see in Colombia,” added Mr Velásquez.