New mill to increase cement production

A CEMENT company is expanding its plant in the Visayas to meet the increasing demand for cement in the country.

Normandy Chan, Cemex Apo plant director, said yesterday the construction of its new vertical mill would increase the capacity of its cement plant in Tina-an, Naga City by at least 1.5 metric tons per year.

The vertical mill is set to be completed by the second quarter of next year with an investment of approximately P2.5 billion.

This vertical mill has a capacity of 200 tons per hour(tph) producing 1.5 million tons per year.

They are also constructing additional kilns to produce more cement.

The Cemex Apo plant has two kilns, the first kiln producing 2500 tons per day (TPD), while the second kiln produces 5500 TPD.

Apo Cement is owned by Cemex Philippines which has two cement plants in the country, one in Antipolo City, Rizal Province and the plant in Tina-an, which is about 23.2 km from Cebu City.

Chan said Cemex with coal as its prime source of fuel had been implementing environment-friendly practices in its operations.

Cemex has won several awards for its green practices, including the Green Choice Seal Award that ensures that its products are environmentally-preferable.

Among the green practices of the firm are turning used tires, husks, and waste plastic materials into alternative fuel.

“We are continuously looking forward for innovative and sustainable ways to do our operations. For example, our alternative fuel substitution in APO has reached as much as 22 percent in a span of only five years,” said Chan.

The cement plant employs 500 workers, which came mostly from the eight barangays in Naga City./CNU Intern Jessanie Lumagbas