The US$120 million Shuntai Investments cement project in Chegutu is moving closer to commissioning, with mechanical installation of its 800,000-tonne-a-year cement production line expected to be completed by October 20, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
The integrated project, which includes limestone mining, a 400,000-tonne lime production line and plans for a 50-megawatt thermal power plant, is expected to strengthen Zimbabwe’s domestic cement manufacturing capacity once operational.
Shuntai Investments General Manager Li Xiaodong said mechanical installation of the cement production line was progressing towards completion, with cable laying, wiring, grounding and integrated commissioning expected to follow.
“The mechanical installation of the 800,000-tonne cement production line is scheduled to be completed by October 20. Cable laying, wiring, grounding, and integrated commissioning are expected to be completed by mid-November,” he said.
The project is also being supported by an 88kV power supply line from Norton to Chegutu, which Li said was expected to be completed by October 20.
Design work for the project’s 50MW thermal power plant is also underway, meaning the power-generation component remains at an earlier development stage than the cement production line.
The development incorporates limestone mining, providing an upstream mineral component to the cement manufacturing operation.
Li said the first phase of the project was expected to support employment across cement production, power generation, limestone mining and logistics.
He said the cement production line would employ 400 people, while the thermal power plant and limestone mining operation would each employ 100 people. A further 100 employees would be taken on within the production operations, while logistics would account for about 300 jobs.
The project has also provided employment and skills-development opportunities for people in communities around Chegutu during construction.
Meanwhile, construction of the 400,000-tonne lime production line is progressing, with civil works having started on September 1 following completion of the design phase and shipment of equipment.
Shuntai is also planning a second phase of expansion from January 2027, with developments planned in Zvishavane, Harare, Bulawayo and Mutare.
According to Li, the Zvishavane expansion will include a 6,000-tonne-per-day cement clinker production line, a cement grinding line and a 50MW thermal power plant.
The company also plans cement grinding facilities in Harare, with a proposed capacity of one million tonnes a year, while facilities in Bulawayo and Mutare are planned at 500,000 tonnes a year each.
The planned expansion would extend Shuntai’s manufacturing footprint beyond Chegutu and increase the company’s involvement across the cement production value chain, from limestone mining and clinker production to cement grinding.
The Chegutu project comes as Zimbabwe seeks to expand domestic industrial and mineral-processing capacity, with cement production closely linked to demand from construction, infrastructure and other industrial activities.
