HeidelbergCement has reopened its 1.8Mta plant in eastern Ukraine a month after closing it due to pro-Russian rebels in the regions wanting to impose their own agenda on the production process.

The situation now has changed and the company is about to sign a contact with a new security firm, HeidelbergCEment CEO Bernd Scheifele said.

The re-launch of the production process was closely coordinated with the Foreign Office, the CEO said.

The conflict in Ukraine has led to serious infrastructure damages and thus the demand for building materials is high, Scheifele was quoted as saying.

HeidelbergCement’s other two Ukraine plants, Kryvyi Rih and Dniprocement, were not affected.