Nigeria: Dangote and Siemens Contract Of UD$95 Million
The Ogun State will be supplied with three gas turbines to power the Ibese Cement plant. This has been made possible by a pact signed by Dangote Industries Cement division and Siemens International Turbomachinery. The project is estimated to cost US$95 million.
The three gas turbines are expected to generate 102 mega watts of electricity for the cement plant. Construction of the plant, which began late 2009, is expected to be completed by January 2011. The plant has a production capacity of 5 million metric tons of cement annually.
The Ibese plant is being constructed by Sinoma a leading cement construction company from China. Some of the facilities to be provided at the plant include gas pipeline, housing estate and mining equipment.
Cameroun: The Progress of River Mfoundi Canal Project
The River Mfoundi Canal Project is scheduled to take one year. It will be completed in October this year. The 15 metres wide canal is being constructed from the Central Post Office area to the National Petroleum Depot Company (SCDP). The contactor of the project is China International Water and Electricity Corporation (CWE) and the walls have already been erected.
According to the contractor, 65 percent of the work has been covered. Two bridges have already been constructed and pillars are being laid down for the construction of two other bridges. The total number of bridges to be put is five. The fifth will be a footbridge above the canal to enable pedestrians to cross over. Also there are three machines for dredging t pave way for construction work.
Nigeria: Chevron to Put Up A 750MW Power Plant
Chevron Nigeria Limited has indicated interest to construct a 750 mega watts capacity power plant in Agora, Lagos State, according to an official from the company.
Tenders have already been invited from the ongoing Nigeria Oil and Gas Conference in Abuja.Natural gas is a growing segment of Chevron's energy portfolio. Our natural gas resources span six continents, including significant holdings in Africa, Australia, Southeast Asia, the Caspian region, Latin America and North America.
The project is a joint venture is running to about 240,000mbd in both the deepwater and Agbami field.
Tanzania: Modernizing Nyerere Airport
The modernisation of JK Nyerere International Airport, to be completed in July this year, will enable it to handle more than 30 planes an hour, up from the current 11.
Terminal One and Two of the busiest airport in Tanzania are currently being expanded, in a US$56 million project - a combination of a loan from the Netherlands and funds from the Tanzanian government.
The two terminals are currently congested, since they were designed to handle only 1.2 million passengers a year but are now handling up to 1.5 million. The Tanzania aviation industry has recorded more than 10 percent growth annually.At Terminal Two, construction of a new taxiway, parallel to the old one, is expected to be complete by mid this year. A new VIP lounge that is currently under construction near Terminal Two is expected to be completed in April, in time for the arrival of world leaders for the Economic Forum for Africa that is scheduled to be held in Dar es Salaam for the first time in May. It is estimated t cost US$6 million.
Uganda: Developing Tororo Cement
Tororo Cement, a local cement manufacturer in Uganda has a plan to invest overUS$50m in production expansion. The company is playing a key role in supporting Uganda’s construction sector in a move meant to stand firm against the cement market competition in East Africa, according to an official from the company.
Tororo will increase the factory's cement grinding, storage and packing capacity. The expansion activities are already underway. It will be operation by the end of 2010.
Developing the factory project will double the cement grinding capacity from one million tons to 2.2m tons per year. This includes a new cement grinding mill with two cement storage silos of 10,000 tons each and a packing plant. The investment also caters for the ongoing kiln rehabilitation that is expected to reinstate the drying capacity to 1,000 tons per day, as opposed to the current 400 tons.
Tororo cement has also done rehabilitation of its existing pollution control equipment by upgrading its technology to improve its effectiveness.
Spain: Harbour Master Plan Design Award
KCAP Architects&Planners has been chosen unanimously over prestigious architects Zaha Hadid, Richard Rogers, Dominique Perrault, Oriol Bohigas and others to win the master-planning competition for the development of a 70 hectare site at the Bay of Pasaia, San Sebastian, Spain.
The plan defines an archipelago of varied waterfront developments, setting broad conditions for local involvement of the different communities. The urban plan provides the local communities with space to grow and possibilities to extend their identity and exploit their diversity, based around public transport hubs.
The different character zones are unified by a public space network around the docks and along green boulevards. Within this structure, a sensitive network of public spaces is formed, allowing current and new inhabitants to enjoy the water for leisure and recreation. Around the bay, new landmark buildings such as a cultural centre and a maritime museum will become regional destinations. Clusters of new economic activities will generate new employment in a broad range of sectors.
The winning scheme was elaborated by KCAP in collaboration with sustainability advisors of ECOFYS and local consultants of LKS engineering and architect Angel de la Hoz. The team will remain involved to elaborate and refine the concept.
China: World’s First Suspended Cable Cruise Terminal
Due to be completed in May of this year, the Shanghai International Cruise Terminal will be capable of accommodating up to three 80,000 tons cruise ships at any one time and handle an expected passenger flow of over 1.5 million people annually. Designed by Sparch, the Asian arm of the Archial Group plc, the mixed-use development will occupy a total floor area of more than 260,000 sq m and comprise 80 percent commercial use, and 20 percent public facilities, entertainment and retail outlets.
The centre piece of the terminal has been dubbed the ‘Shanghai Chandelier’. With its 40m-high glass-clad portal, the Chandelier overlooks the public park and waterfront where city dwellers and tourists can congregate in an open space for festivals and events. Looking up from the ground, a view of several floating cafes, restaurants and bars suspended on cables beneath a seven-storey steel truss will greet passersby. This is the very first suspended cable construction of its type in the world.
This development also represents a first in Shanghai for sustainability, incorporating River Water Cooling Technology – utilising water from the Huang Pu River as a refrigerant to cool and thereby greatly reduce the buildings’ energy consumption during the summer months.
Association news
Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK)
The 43rd AAK General Meeting will be held on March 19, 2010 at their offices at Professional Centre.
The agenda of the meeting is as follows:
43-1 Reading of the Notice calling the Annual General Meeting
43-2 Confirmation of the Minutes of the 42nd Annual General Meeting
43-3 Governing Council’s Report from the Chairman of AAK
43-4 Trustees Report from the Chairman of Trustees
43-5 Hon. Treasurer’s and Auditor’s Reports
43-6 Appointment of Auditors for the year 2010/2011
43-7 Any Other Business for which fourteen days (14 No.) Notice has been given in writing
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Events
Annual Conference
Date: March 24-26, 2010
Venue: Engineers Centre, 13 Continental Road, Roman Ridge, Accra
Email: secretariat@ghie.org.gh
Website: www.ghie.org.gh
Key areas on Transportation to be discussed during the Conference will include:
- General Issues of Policy, Integration of Transport Systems and Regional Trade
- Urban Mobility
- Management and Financing of Road Networks
- Maximising the Contribution of Rail Transport, Air Transport and Maritime Transport
GAMA 2010 Annual Conference and General Meeting
Date: March 14-17, 2010
Venue: Sarova Whitesands, Mombasa, Kenya
Contacts
Email: acek@mitsuminet.com
Website: www.acek.co.ke
The aim of the conference is to bring together engineers from the Consulting Engineering fraternity from all over Africa and we expect about 250 delegates to attend. The conference will also be attended by the President of FIDIC and the Managing Director of the FIDIC Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland. All the African participants are expected to be in some kind of construction related leadership position in their country of origin.
Conference Theme: The Engineer as a Strategic Partner
Sub-Themes:
1) The Engineer in Policy Formulation and Implementation
2) The role of the Engineer in Improving Governance
3) Sustainable Infrastructure: The role of the Engineer
4) The Consulting Engineer in Global Economic Recession.
