March start set for Warnes US$15mn cement mill

Bolivian cement producer Itacamba Cemento will start construction of a US$15mn cement milling plant near Warnes in Santa Cruz department in March 2005, newspaper El Deber reported. Development of the 370,000t/y capacity cement mill - Bolivia's biggest - is part of an expansion plan for Itacamba's parent, Brazilian cement maker Votorantim Cimentos, according to the newspaper. The plant will come on stream in 2006 and seeks to benefit from the boom in cement demand in the country's southeast, according to Wilson Dos Santos, Itacamba general manager. Several highway projects planned or in development will help stimulate this demand. The Bolivian cement and concrete institute estimates Bolivia's cement market will grow 12.7% in 2004 compared with 2003 figures, with more growth expected in 2005. Throughout 2004, Itacamba has sold an average of 8,000t/month in the Santa Cruz market.