Omsk Carbon Group breaks ground on new plant in Belarus
On July 29, Omsk Carbon Group held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new carbon black plant being built in the Mogilev Free Economic Zone, Belarus. The project was first announced in February 2013, and Omsk spent the ensuing 18 months doing design work and obtaining the necessary governmental approvals. The new plant will employ 450 workers and will have 120,000 tonnes/year of capacity at start-up in 2017, expandable to 200,000 t/y at a later date. The cost is Euro 85 million (RUB 4 bn). The factory will supply customers in Europe and Belarus. Omsk Carbon Group is the largest producer of carbon black in Russia and Eastern Europe, with plants in Omsk and Volgograd.