Australia’s Adbri Ltd has been given board approval for an AUD199m (US$151.7m) project that will consolidate two existing cement production sites into a single operation serving the western Australia market and increase production capacity to 1.5Mta from 1.1Mta.

AdBri’s Cockburn Cement business has existing production capabilities to service this market at both Kwinana and Munster, located south of Perth. Clinker is currently transported by truck from its Kwinana bulk terminal (KBT) to cement milling plants located at both sites. The project will now consolidate cement production at the Kwinana site.

"Our Munster and Kwinana cement operations have helped build western Australia for over half a century, supplying a vital material to the construction and mining sectors. The Kwinana Upgrade Project represents an AUD199m investment that will modernise our cement production capabilities, create employment opportunities during the construction phase and support the long-term growth of the western Australian mining and construction sectors," said Nick Miller, CEO.

The project will include the addition of a bulk materials conveyor linking the KBT to a new 110,000t clinker storage shed. Two new ball mills will also be installed for the grinding of slag and clinker.

The new facility is expected to deliver lower production costs as it will replace 50-year-old milling equipment with a new, efficient plant and reduce the need for investment in the Munster assets.

The project is expected to be fully commissioned by mid-2023, while the Munster works will be decommissioned by the 1Q24.