AFKO Group GMEX has expressed interest in reopening the Kankesanthurai (KKS) cement plant in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka, according to the country’s Industry and Commerce Ministry. 

“We are keen to partner in the Kankesanthurai Cement Project and are ready to enter with US$450m as a start. We shall also bring in all the necessary machineries and technology and can start from scratch,” AFKO Chairman, Keun Young Lee said. He added, “We are not limited to KKS. We are keen about cement production industries elsewhere in Sri Lanka, including Mannar.”

It has been reported that limestone deposits in the area exceed 80Mt, which would be sufficient for manufacturing cement for another 100 years, even if they are extracted at a rate of 3500tpd.

Operations at the KKS plant began in 1950 but ended production in 1991 due to the civil war. At the time of its closure the plant’s production capacity was 115,000tpa.