Qatar’s Alkhalij Cement Company plans to invest $219m in a new production line, which it says is needed to meet growing demand from local construction projects.

Established in 2006, Al Khalij Cement Company, part of Qatari Investors Group, is one of only two cement providers in the Gulf state.

Its new production line is expected to be operational by the first quarter of 2016, and would increase the company’s cement production by 50%, said Firas Tayssir Ibrahim, chief administration officer of Qatari Investors Group, in a statement.

Jose Escalera, Alkhalij Cement Company COO, said “unprecedented growth” in Qatar’s construction sector had prompted the move.

Production of cement is expected to touch three million tonnes by the end of 2015, and company projections indicate that when the new line is operational, Alkhalij Cement Company will produce close to 4.5 million tonnes of cement.