… discovers coal in commercial quantity in Sokoto
BUA Group’s cement subsidiary in Sokoto State, CCNN (also known as Sokoto Cement), expects its new 1.5 million metric tons per annum (mtpa) cement plant to be completed before third quarter of 2017.
Abdulsamad Rabiu, founder/executive chairman, BUA Group, and chairman of CCNN, disclosed this at a working tour of the plant by Kayode Fayemi, minister for solid minerals development.
Rabiu said the $300 million project that began a few years ago was the first expansion of the plant since 1986, as BUA Group took over majority shareholding in 2010. He also informed the minister that the Group had discovered coal in commercial quantities, which it intends to use as fuel for a 40mw power plant being constructed as part of the project.
This new cement factory will use both coal and LPFO as sources of power, while the excess power generated would be sent into the national grid.
According to Rabiu, BUA’s $300 million investment in the new plant is the single largest private sector-led investment in the entire North West Nigeria. He also highlighted the plant’s export potential with it being 100 kilometres to the border with Niger Republic and 200 kilometres to the border with Benin Republic. Which according to him will help the country earn much-needed foreign exchange and diversify the economy further.
In his response, Fayemi commended BUA Group and Sokoto Cement for their contributions to various areas of national development, while stating that CCNN was the second-largest employer of labour in Sokoto State, second only to the state government.
He commended the company for successfully exploring for coal in the Sokoto area and reiterated the Federal Government’s resolve to support sustainable investments in the solid minerals sector, which will in turn have immense positive impact on Nigeria and Nigerians.
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