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wiredInUSA - August 2014
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Mr MS Hidayat, industry minister of
Indonesia, has launched the construction
of a $200 million integrated blast furnace.
Construction of the steel mill is being carried
out by PT Gunung Gahapi Nisco Indonesia,
a joint venture between Indonesian steel
maker PT Gunung Gahapi Sakti and
China’s Nanjing Iron and Steel Company,
on a 40 hectare site.
The first phase, at a cost of around $100
million, is expected to be completed
next year and the second phase by 2017.
Commercial operations will begin in 2015
to produce 500,000 tonnes of concrete
reinforcing steel and wire rod a year in its
initial phase. Capacity will be upgraded
by another 500,000 tonnes in the second
phase.
Mr Hidayat described the “wise decision”
byGahapi andNanjing toproducewire rod
and concrete-reinforcing steel to supply
local makers of prestressed concrete steel,
steel wire ropes, cable stayed, steel cord,
nuts and bolts and nails. The enterprise is
expected to help improve the quality of
domestic wire rod that fails to meet the
standards needed to produce wire rod
high carbon and alloy steel.
Steel mill construction
National electricity companies in West
Africa are seeking to establish a reliable
power grid for the region.
Working in cooperation, the West African
Power Pool will establish a plant in Ghana
to generate about 450MW of power to
selected West African countries.
President John Mahama, speaking to the
president of Sierra Leone, expressed the
hope that the additional power will help
to drive economic growth in the area.
He noted that West Africa is currently
experiencing fast growth, but that energy
supply is a major constraint.
The president indicated that in his capacity
as chairman of the economic community
of west African states, his focus will be: “How
we can push through the integration of our
infrastructure, most especially energy.” He
said the plant will “utilize Ghanaian gas
from our future gas discoveries to produce
450 megawatts of power.” The generated
power will be transmitted through Cote
D’Ivoire to Liberia and Sierra Leone.
West Africa grid
John Mahama
Mr MS Hidayat