The development of a new 5,000 tonne per day cement plant in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia is underway according to the Southern Province Cement Company (SPCC). The move is part of its strategy to boost its total capacity to 10,000 tonnes per day and gradually replace the current production lines.

Following the completion of technical studies in co-ordination with it consulting firm, the company’s board of directors have given the go-ahead to build the infrastructure for another 5000-tonne-per-day line within the same site, said SPCC.

Southern Province Cement had recently released its figures for the three-month period ended March 31, 2022, which showed that the company’s performance remained under pressure.

The Saudi group had posted a net profit after Zakat and tax of $23.1mn for Q1, down 49% from $45mn a year before. This was mainly due to a sharp decrease in sales revenue along with an increase in general and administration expenses, the firm explained.

In Q2, 2021, the company reported a 15% fall in revenue citing a 10.9% y-o-y fall in cement volume.