East African Portland Cement begins second phase of Athi River upgrade

East African Portland Cement (EAPC) has commenced the second phase of its upgrading programme at its Athi River plant. The programme, which will involve a 25-day maintenance shutdown, is designed to boost cement production capacity at the facility to 1Mta in the next two years. 

“Our machines have run for many years with upgrades in between and lack of maintenance, which has depreciated our capacity. For now we are doing the second phase of our machine upgrades and this is targeting to increase our capacity and output. Our target is that by June 2026, is to produce one million tonnes of cement,” said Oliver Kirubai, managing director, EAPC. 

The first phase, which took place in September 2022, involved replacement of the kiln shell, resulting in improved clinker and cement production, and a 38 per cent revenue increase. The second phase will involve replacement of bag filters, refractory bricks and refurbishment of the grate cooler system. The company also plans a third phase, which is scheduled to be completed by June 2026.