Namibia's Ohorongo Cement plant is said to be using an innovative, eco-friendly biofuel solution to give them a competitive edge.
Blackthorn can grow to as high as seven meters and forms impenetrable thickets. It won't let any other species grow in the vicinity, with its use said to be causing much concern among local famers.
It is now harvested turning the bush into wood chips used for fuel by Ohorongo Cement, Namibia's only cement manufacturer, giving it a potential edge over some of its international competitors.
Biofuel accounts for 30% of Ohorongo's energy needs; eventually the company wants to raise this figure to 80%.
"In the long term, we will be very competitive," manager Gerhard Hirth is reported as saying by allAfrica news website. Not having to rely on coal and oil imports, the company was able to keep energy costs down while making a positive contribution to the environment.
"We have the technology and the raw materials to produce high quality cement. We manufacture it economically with staff we have trained ourselves who are really very good workers," continued Hirth.
A German national, Hirth comes from Ulm. The family firm
Hirth is said to have invested €249.76 million in Namibia. As well as deploying modern technology, he also chose a logistically favourable location from which his high quality building material can be freighted to Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia.
The plant produces 600,000tonnes/year, of which 500,000 is destined for the Namibian market. The rest is exported. Namibia is only a small cement producer, neighbouring South Africa is a much bigger player turning out 16.5 million tonnes/year.
