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Insulation industry news from Global Insulation
New Kazakh mineral wool plant
05 October 2011Kazakhstan: A new Vodokanalstroy Company mineral wool plant has started operation in the city of Karaganda in Karaganda region as part of the Business Roadmap-2020 programme.
The executive director of the company, Mikhail Lashkov, said, "The project cost USD11.2m. The sources of financing were our own funds, accounting for USD7.6m and a loan of USD3.7m borrowed at an interest rate of 7%/yr."
According to Lashkov, the production capacity of the plant is 85,000m3/yr of thermal insulation material. "The main product of the plant are mineral wool slabs with Misot synthetic binding agent," he added. The raw materials for the products are sourced from ArcelorMittal Temirtau.
"There is a huge demand for heat insulation materials in Kazakhstan and 85% of such products are imported. Now the imports can be reduced," said Lashkov.
Ukraine: Ukrainian producers of thermal insulation made from mineral fibres are looking increasingly at potential sales markets outside the country, because demand there is just 20-30% of that in central and western European countries and the country has significant overcapacity.
Since 2008, additional plants with total mineral wool capacity of 170,000-175,000t/yr have gone online in the country but the domestic market has been unable to absorb the material. According to a provisional assessment, 78,500t of mineral wool based on basalt fibres and 24,000t of glass wool were sold in the Ukraine in 2010.
Insulation imports fell from 115,000t in 2008 to 50,400t in 2009, but are thought to have risen slightly to around 55,000t in 2010.