Production of cement at Qatar National Cement Company (QNCC) will rise by 46 per cent within the next two years following a contract it signed with French company FCB Ciment to construct a new plant.

The new plant will raise clinker capacity by 1.32 million tonnes per year (tpy) against a total capacity of 900,000 tpy in two existing plants manufacturing ordinary Portland cement and sulphur-resistant cement.
The new kiln, being built at a cost of $158 million, will be completed in two phases, the first of which will be ready in October 2005 and the second in October 2006.
Total clinker capacity at the end of the expansion will rise to 2.22 million tonnes, but ultimate cement production from the grinding will be 2.6 million tonnes including the portion from more than 300 tonnes of imported clinker, general manager Mohammed Ali Sulaity said.
“Demand is rising; it looks like the market is strong,” he commented.
The company sold last year some 1.5 million tonnes, against 1.4 million tonnes in 2002, and this year expects to sell 1.8 million tonnes, using some quantities of imported clinker just as it did last year.
The company also produces calcinated and hydrated lime, selling some 28,600 tonnes in 2003 against 27,400, tonnes in the previous year.  Also produced was 1.3 million tonnes of washed sand from a facility purchased in 2003 from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture.
Total sales from all products were QR299 million ($82.1 million) in 2003 against QR243 million in the previous year. The company was able to declare QR115 million in profits from operations in 2003 against QR105 million in 2002.
“The financial position of the company has become more strong due to the outstanding results attained during 2003,” said chairman and managing director Salem bin Butti Al Naimi.
The company is keen on adding new products.  “We have an undercurrent to go into blended cement and oilwell cement,” said Al Sulaity.  “We have to receive technical knowhow and API approval and certain laboratory items.”
Meanwhile, the company’s blending plant is nearing completion. It will blend ordinary Portland cement and fly ash for giving additional strength to concrete used in special applications as when, for example, concrete is exposed to water.
Al Sulaiti described as significant the acquisition of the sand plant.  “It was doing 50,000 tonnes per month of washed sand. Today it’s doing 170,000 tonnes. We accomplished this with a change in management and with synchronisation of activities,” he said.