Kampong Speu cement factory to ‘cut imports, lift production’
Kampong Speu cement factory to ‘cut imports, lift production’
A $258 million cement factory in Kampong Speu, approved by the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) on August 24, is expected to raise the nation’s cement production capacity to more than 10 million tonnes per year.
The factory, Conch KT Cement (Phnom Penh) Co Ltd, in Hom Samnang commune in Oral district, would also create 468 jobs, said Cambodia Cement Manufacturing Association secretary-general Put Chendarith.
“This development would bring many benefits to the economy, such as increasing domestic cement capacity, reducing cement imports and offering employment to locals. It also spurs growth in the construction sector,” he told The Post on August 28.
The cement factory, sixth in the country, can produce two million tonnes of cement per year.
In June this year, Dongfang Junma Cement Co Ltd factory, with an investment capital of $95 million, was approved by CDC to operate in Treng commune, Ratanak Mondul district in Battambang. The factory generated 979 jobs.
To date, the existing five cement factories (including Dongfang), which employ around 3,000 people, jointly produce 8.7 million tonnes of cement per year.
To meet domestic demand, Cambodia imports two to three million tonnes of cement per year from Vietnam, China and Thailand.
Kampong Speu governor Vei Samnang said the province’s features such as geographical location, good transportation system and close proximity to the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port, places it second after Phnom Penh as a favourable investment hub.
Data by the Ministry of Commerce showed that Cambodia imported $25 million worth of cement in 2022, down 43 per cent from $44 million in 2021.
Between January and May this year, the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction issued 1,463 construction permits, which cumulatively measure more than five million square metres.
The projects carried a total investment of $2.3 billion, up 139 per cent compared to the same period in 2022.
