CSN to invest US$530mn in cement and limestone operations

Brazil’s CSN will invest 3 billion reais (US$530 million) in a new cement factory and a limestone processing plant in Paraná state.

Some 2.8bn reais were earmarked for the cement factory, which will be built 30km from the limestone operation in an area of 150ha in Itaperuçu municipality, with the mining area expected to total another 70ha.

Both facilities will use state-of-the-art technology and are designed for easy expansion, as raw material reserves are estimated to last 80 years.

"This is another important investment that helps consolidate the good economic moment in Paraná, with GDP growing at twice the national average and being among the largest job creators in the country. We have created a good environment in the state to help attract ventures like this," governor Carlos Massa Ratinho Junior said in a press release.

The state’s water and land authority IAT is currently processing the environmental license for the cement project, for which construction is planned to start in 2025, and the preliminary license for the limestone plant.

Also, CSN “will have to prepare plans for approximately 30km of roads that will integrate [future] facilities into the existing road network, especially the Rodovia dos Minérios (PR-092). This measure will facilitate the flow of cement and limestone production to the interior of the state, meeting the demands of agribusiness and the construction industry," the release said.

CSN has operations in the metals, mining, energy, cement and logistics sectors.