Major Iranian Holding Plans to Build a Cement Plant in SEZ Lotus
Today, a memorandum of understanding to this effect was signed by Mohammadreza Bazavi, General Director and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of Shahrood Cement Company, a member of the Board of Directors of the National Cement Association of Iran, and Alexander Kim, Director General of SEZ Lotus JSC, in the presence of Igor Babushkin, the Governor of the Astrakhan Region, and Kazem Jalali, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Russian Federation.
At present, an Iranian delegation headed by the Ambassador is in the region to work out in detail the localization of production. The enterprise is planned to be located on the territory of Special Economic Zone Lotus, where the construction of a household chemicals plant of another Iranian investor is already nearing completion.
Shahrood Cement Company is one of the largest cement enterprises in northeastern Iran. It operates two production lines with a daily capacity of up to 5.8 thousand tonnes of cement and more than 6 thousand tonnes of grey Portland cement (the most common type of cement used in the production of concrete, reinforced concrete, and construction mortars), as well as sulfate-resisting mixes. The plant is part of the Iranian industrial holding Shasta, which unites 18 cement enterprises producing about 30% of all cement in Iran. The products of the enterprise are supplied to Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and the countries of the Persian Gulf.
As noted by the Governor, the construction industry in the region is maintaining a strong pace, and with its development the demand for construction materials is also growing; therefore, a new cement plant is relevant. The Islamic Republic of Iran is a leading partner of the region – cooperation has been established in various fields: from the economy to the humanitarian sphere.
As part of the signing of the memorandum, representatives of Shahrood Cement Company also visited Special Economic Zone Lotus, and a working meeting was held at the office of the Management Company of the Caspian Cluster.– Over the nine months of this year, the trade turnover increased by 12%. We intend to continue making every effort to increase trade volumes, – the Governor emphasized.
– We highly appreciate the interest of Iranian investors in the special economic zones of the Astrakhan Region. This is a good opportunity to continue trade and economic cooperation between our regions and to expand their potential. Thanks to the personal support of Governor Igor Babushkin, as well as the Government of the Astrakhan Region, we are ready on our part to offer our new partners some of the best conditions for production localization in SEZ Lotus, – commented Alexander Kim, Director General of SEZ Lotus JSC.