Sino-Uzbek JV brings Karakalpakstan plant online

Uzbek-Chinese joint venture, Titan Cement, recently brought its new plant in Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan, into operation. The total cost of the project exceeded US$25m and resulted in the creation of more than 200 jobs.

Initially the Chinese faction of the joint venture intended the project to have a capacity of no more than 60,000tpa, but following the discovery that there was a raised demand for high-quality, inexpensive cement in the region, plant capacity was increased more than threefold during the construction stage.

Through installation of modern Chinese equipment, the new plant is able to produce high-quality cement in compliance with international standards. It is looking to sell its product to the domestic market, whilst also exporting cement to neighbouring Kazakstan, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan.

Eight cement plants operate in Uzbekistan, with a total production capacity of more than 8.6Mta. By year end 2020, Uzbekistan plans to double this capacity to approximately 16.7Mta.