On the 16th, Belarusian President Alexander·Lukashenko arrived by helicopter at the Krichev cement plant, constructed by the Chinese company CITIC Construction, for an inspection visit and to attend the commissioning ceremony of the 5,000-ton-per-day cement clinker production line held there. Belarus has thus ended its history of importing cement and has begun exporting cement.

CITIC Construction-built Belarus cement plant goes into operation

Belarusian President attends commissioning ceremony of Chinese-built cement plant

　　At 9:30 a.m. on June 1, 2013, the last of the three 5,000-ton-per-day cement clinker production lines in Belarus constructed by CITIC Construction -- the new line at the Krichev cement plant -- was successfully ignited, and the cement grinding workshop produced its first batch of cement. On the 16th, Lukashenko listened to a report on this modern cement plant, inspected the main production workshops, and together with Chinese Ambassador to Belarus Gong Jianwei, Belarusian Minister of Architecture Nikichasov, and Hong Bo, Chairman of the contractor CITIC Construction Co., Ltd., pressed the button to start production in the plant's central control room.

Belarusian President inspects Chinese-built cement plant

Pressing the button to start production

　　The Krichev cement plant is the project with the largest construction workload and the longest construction period among the three Belarusian cement projects. The plant adopts advanced dry-process cement clinker production technology, with outstanding energy-saving, consumption-reducing and environmental protection effects. Since these three production lines were successively put into operation in the first half of last year, Belarus has not only ended its history of importing cement but has also begun exporting cement.