Holcim Romania cement producer estimates the high number of infrastructure projects to be started once Romania joins the EU will boost cement sales by around 10-15% a year.

"Over the following years, we are going to deliver more cement for infrastructure. Whereas this year around 85% of cement sales were made to the residential, commercial and office building sectors, sales to projects such as water purifying stations, highways and railways will account for a larger share (of the total i.e.)," stated Markus Wirth, general manager of Holcim Romania.

The company expects turnover to rise by 10-15% this year to some 190 million euros.

The Swiss cement producer in the first half of this year saw cement sales advance by 13.9% compared with the corresponding period of last year. Real estate market growth and the resumption of some infrastructure projects are among the factors behind the sales growth, according to Holcim representatives.

The most important infrastructure project the company is involved in is Transylvania highway.

"We signed the first contract with Bechtel firm for aggregate, soil stabilisation products and cement supplies," specifies Wirth, who chose not to offer further details on the value of the contract or on delivered volumes.

Holcim Romania will build five new concrete-mixing stations in the next five years

"We cannot provide an exact figure related to the total value of investments because of land price fluctuation, but costs related to the construction of a concrete-mixing station range between 1.8 and 3.8 million euros," states Wirth.

In Romania, Holcim holds cement production facilities in Campulung Muscel, Alesd and Turda, 14 environment-friendly fixed concrete-mixing stations and a mobile concrete-mixing station.

The company plans to invest 160 million euros during the 2006-2008 period. In