Cement factory sets sights on 5K tonnes a day
THE Battambang Conch Cement Company Ltd officially inaugurated its $230 million factory in Battambang province on Thursday. It will have a total production capacity of 5,000 tonnes per day.
Prime Minister Hun Sen presided over the ceremony in Rattanak district, where the factory is sited on 316 hectares.
Construction will take 18 months to complete.
The company is a joint venture between Conch International Holding (HK) Limited and Battambang KT Cement Co Ltd.
The company’s CEO, Vinh Hour, said that with this factory, and the others already operating in the Kingdom, market needs will be met by domestic supply.
“Our cement factory, together with others in the industry, can supply the market’s needs and compete with imported cement on quality and price,” Hour said.
Currently, cement costs $90 per tonne. However, Hour said he was optimistic that the price will decrease to $75 per tonne with the increase in domestic supply.
With the new cement factory, there are now a total of four operating in the Kingdom. They have a combined annual production capacity of seven million tonnes, Hun Sen said on his Facebook page.
“[Cement factories] are required for the people . . . [with] Cambodia developing on the growth of construction such as schools.
“Cambodia will not only supply cement for the domestic market, but also export it to the international market,” he said.
The Battambang Conch Cement Company, he said, will supply cement to a number of provinces, including Pursat, Pailin, Banteay Meanchey and Siem Reap.
The factory is among six licensed cement facilities in the country. The others are Kampot Cement, Cambodia Cement Chakrey Ting, Mong Insee Cement Corporation, Thai Boon Rong Cement, and Southern Cement Cambodia. The latter two are in the construction phase.