Nigeria-based Dangote Cement has applied for a license to construct a 75MW coal-fired Tanzania power plant to provide power to a USD 500 million cement factory that is also currently under construction.
Dangote Industries is a leading cement producer in Sub-Saharan Africa with projections indicating a potential annual output capacity of 62 million tons of cement by 2017.
As a result of power outages, which are common across the continent, Dangote has applied for a 75 MW electricity license to construct, own and operate a coal-based power plant alongside its cement manufacturing plant.
According to the Tanzania Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (EWURA), electricity generated from the plant would be used to power the plant and its machinery to manufacture cement, utilities and the housing colony.
“Any interruption in power supply or unstable voltage/frequency causes extensive damage to the refractory and also to the rotary kiln parts,” reads a statement from the EWURA, “Refractory failures cause production shutdowns varying from 15 to 30 days and unscheduled use of costly imported refractory bricks.”
Construction of the Tanzania cement factory is expected to be finished and commissioned in the latter half of 2015 with the annual capacity to produce three million tons of cement.
