CAIRO: Egypt s National Cement Company is considering moving its factory from Helwan, a southern suburb of Cairo, in response to government plans to push polluting industries out of residential areas.
The government passed a decree in 2005 and another in 2008 stipulating that all industries that pollute the environment move their plants out of the greater Cairo area.
The decision is currently being studied, Mohamed Metwally, head of the company s commercial department, told Reuters.
He said the company s other plans to upgrade existing facilities to cut emissions had been put on hold until a decision on any move had been taken, without saying when a decision would be taken.
National Cement, a subsidiary of Chemical Industries Holding Co., produces and trades in cement, clinker and other related construction materials. It is one of the largest remaining cement producers with a public sector majority.
National Cement s shares were down 4.7 percent at 1217 GMT, compared with a 0.8 percent fall in the benchmark index.
