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The government-owned Iraq Cement State Company (ICSC) has invited companies to bid for three projects to develop cement plants in the country.

The first and second projects are focused on developing two new plants to produce Portland cement, each with a capacity of 6,000 tonnes a day (t/d).

The first facility is due to be developed in the Kufa quarries area in Al-Najaf Al-Ashraf Governorate, and the second is due to be developed in the Mosul district of Iraq’s Nineveh Governorate.

The third project is focused on expanding the existing Hadbaa cement plant, which is also located in the Mosul district.

The scope of this project includes establishing a new dry-process, gas-fuelled line capable of producing 3,200 t/d of ordinary and resistant Portland cement.

Normally, this kind of production line includes a raw mill that grinds and dries the raw materials before they are fed into the kiln.

It also typically includes a preheater, precalciner, rotary kiln, clinker cooler and associated equipment.

The new line needs to be capable of producing cement suitable for dam filling, according to ICSC.

ICSC has invited “Iraqi and Arab investors” to participate in the projects, as well as companies specialised in developing cement plants.

The deadline for submitting bids for all three projects is 23 June 2026.

Iraq’s state-owned cement producer produced more than 676,000 tonnes of cement across its plants in February, with key plants posting double-digit growth compared to production levels in 2025.

Its Kubaisa cement plant produced 37% more than it did in 2025, according to a statement by the company’s director general, Awad Kazem Abd Al-Amir, in April.

Its Qaim plant was producing cement at a rate 17% higher than in 2025, and its Sinjar plant at a rate 14% higher.

Fallout from the regional conflict that broke out after the US and Israel bombed Iran on 28 February has had a significant negative impact on Iraq’s energy sector and wider economy.

It has disrupted a wide range of projects and is likely to create uncertainty about future cement demand in the country.

Prior to the war breaking out, Beijing-based Sinoma won a contract from Iraq’s Nargis Group for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) work on a 6,000 t/d cement production line in Basra.

Sinoma’s scope of work under the contract, awarded in February, covers the EPC of the complete production system, from raw materials handling and clinker preparation to cement grinding, storage and shipping.

MEED’s June 2026 report on Iraq includes:

> COMMENT: Iraq’s reform window narrows
> GOVERNMENT: Al-Zaidi takes Iraq’s premiership under US shadow
> BANKING: Financial challenge tests Iraq’s resolve
> ECONOMY: Iraq enters era of resilience, reform and rising risks 
> OIL & GAS: Iraqi oil and gas sector in crisis
> POWER & WATER: Focus shifts to delivery of Iraq utilities expansion
> CONSTRUCTION: Momentum builds in Iraq’s post-war construction sector