Siguaney prepares to restart production

After a one-and-a-half year stop, repair at the Siguaney cement plant in Cuba is set to resume. New refractory bricks have arrived at the port of Mariel, Cuba, and the Siguaney cement plant is preparing for work at its two kilns. It is expected that the work will take two weeks.

“In this year-and-a-half we have not worked the complete cycle of the process, but we have taken the opportunity to work on the improvement of the industry because, despite the tense financial situation of recent years, we have received more than CUP3m (US$113,208) in imported parts, inputs that, together with others of national manufacture, have made it possible to rehabilitate around 80 per cent of the technological equipment of the factory,” said engineer Rodríguez Pérez.

While the kilns were off-line, cement mills at the plant had produced cement using clinker from Cienfuegos. As a result, around 1500tpm of cement were supplied to the domestic market, until September when fuel limitations affected operations.

“At the moment we are starting the preparation of crude oil – the first phase of the cement production process, including after burning and grinding – work preceded by the exploitation of quarries and the hauling of raw materials, so that with 936MW/h planned for the industry in October we must produce 7000t of cement in the month,” he said.

Following the work, start-up of the kilns is scheduled for the 15 October, prioritising output of grey cement due to its demand in Sancti Spíritus and Ciego de Ávila, although deliveries to other destinations are not ruled out.