| Wed 13 Aug 2008, 15:30 | | PPC - Pretoria Portland Cement Company Limited - Major Environmental Project |
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PPC
PPC
PPC - Pretoria Portland Cement Company Limited - Major Environmental Project
Planned for PPC De Hoek Factory
PRETORIA PORTLAND CEMENT COMPANY LIMITED
Incorporated in the Republic of South Africa
(Registration number 1892/000667/06)
("PPC" or "the company")
JSE code: PPC
ISIN code: ZAE000096475
Major Environmental Project Planned for PPC De Hoek Factory
PPC is pleased to announce that in line with its commitment to improving the
environment around the communities in which it operates countrywide and adhering
to international environmental best practices, it will undertake a major project
to reduce dust emissions at the De Hoek factory in the Western Cape. Although
current dust emission levels are not regarded as a health threat, reduced
emissions will further improve the air quality for both employees and residents
and ensure PPC complies more than satisfactorily with new legislation. The
estimated cost of the project is around R70m and it will be completed by 2011.
PPC, the country`s leading cement producer, operates two production facilities
in the Western Cape, one at De Hoek near Picketberg and the other at Riebeeck
West. De Hoek the larger of the two facilities produces around 800 000 tons of
cement per year for the Western Cape market from two rotary cement kilns. The
kilns are currently fitted with electrostatic precipitators, older technology,
which uses electric power to separate dust particles from the kiln exhaust gas,
enabling cement plants to operate with low dust emissions.
Dr.Orrie Fenn, PPC`s Chief Operating Officer, says "the precipitators will be
replaced with state of the art bag-filter technology where the kiln gas is de-
dusted in a better way similar to a very large vacuum cleaner." Modern bag
filters are much more efficient at removing dust from gas, with the dust
concentration in the cleaned gas seldom exceeding 20 milligrams per cubic metre.
"This is well below the level of 50 milligrams per cubic metre required by
International and European Standards and will comfortably meet the expected
requirements of the new South African Air Quality Act," says Fenn.
The engineering design for the new bag filters is currently underway. The
expected lead time for delivery of the equipment is approximately one year and
it is planned to have the new de-dusting systems installed and fully operational
by 2011. Until then, PPC will optimise the current de-dusting equipment to
ensure that the lowest possible emission levels are maintained.
Fenn says that "PPC is committed to working closely with the authorities and
communities in all the areas where we operate to ensure that environmental
impacts from ongoing operations are kept to a minimum. In addition we seek to
actively improve the lives of our employees and local communities by investing
in upliftment projects and education."
The De Hoek project follows similar successful projects carried out at PPC`s
lime manufacturing operation in the Northern Cape where R20 million was spent on
bag filter technology, and at PPC`s Slurry, Jupiter, Hercules and Port Elizabeth
cement plants where over R40 million has been spent to date on improving
environmental conditions.
13 August 2008
Sponsor
Merrill Lynch South Africa (Pty) Limited
Date: 13/08/2008 15:30:01 Produced by the JSE SENS Department.
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