Syria China Cement Plant, Raqqa

About the Project

The Syrian-Chinese cement plant is an integrated cement and clinker production project to be built in the city of Ain Issa, in the northern countryside of Raqqa governorate. AlHasan Holding Group, a Syrian group, is carrying it out with a Chinese partner and, according to SANA on 13 October 2026, in coordination with the Syrian Ministry of Economy and Industry (the Ministry). The agreement was announced in April 2026, and the foundation stone was laid on 13 October 2026 (see the 13.10.2026 update).

March Meeting and April Announcement

On 3 March 2026, Minister of Economy and Industry Nidal Al-Sha'ar and his deputy Basil Abdul Hannan met Raqqa Governor Abdul Rahman Salama at the Ministry's headquarters in Damascus to discuss the industrial and artisanal sectors in the governorate. According to the Ministry's official channels, as reported by Al-Ikhbariyah Syria, the meeting considered establishing an integrated industrial city and an organised artisanal zone. The report adds that approval was given to build a cement plant in Raqqa.

According to Al-Ikhbariyah Syria, citing the official channels of the Ministry of Economy and Industry, an agreement between AlHasan Holding Group and China's Jiangsu Pengfei Group to build an integrated cement and clinker plant in Raqqa governorate was announced on Wednesday, 29 April 2026; it was signed in the People's Republic of China. The announcement said the project came under government directives and the patronage of the governor of Raqqa, as part of a government drive to revive strategic industries and cut reliance on imports.

Capacity and Timeline

As announced in April 2026, the plant was designed to produce 7,000 tonnes of cement and 5,000 tonnes of clinker per day and was expected to take about two years to complete. The announcement said a delegation from the Chinese company was due in Raqqa governorate in May 2026 to complete preparations and begin implementation.

At the foundation-stone event on 13 October 2026, officials gave updated figures. SANA quoted Siraj Al-Hariri, Director General of the General Establishment of Geology and Mineral Resources at the Ministry of Energy, as saying that planned capacity exceeds 6,000 tonnes per day (Syria TV, relaying the statement, specifies cement) and that the project will take two and a half years from its first construction stages to the start-up of the final production lines. AlHasan Holding Group board member Ibrahim Al-Issa gave expected clinker capacity as 5,000 tonnes, a figure Syria TV and Al-Watan report as per day. The details are in the 13.10.2026 update.

Parties and Roles

• AlHasan Holding Group, the Syrian party to the April 2026 agreement. SANA says the project is carried out in coordination between the group and the Ministry.
• Jiangsu Pengfei Group, the Chinese party to the April 2026 agreement. SANA's report on the foundation-stone event refers to a Chinese partner company without naming it.
• Syrian Ministry of Economy and Industry: according to Al-Ikhbariyah Syria, the April 2026 agreement was announced through the Ministry's official channels; according to SANA, the Ministry laid the foundation stone in cooperation with Raqqa Governorate.
• Raqqa Governorate and the Syrian Investment Authority: according to SANA, the relevant bodies in the governorate and the Authority, together with AlHasan Holding Group, presented the project's details and phases at a press conference in Ain Issa before the ceremony.

Expected Benefits

According to the April announcement, attributed to the Ministry's official channels, the plant is expected to meet local market demand, support reconstruction and infrastructure projects, create hundreds of jobs, and help localise heavy industry and transfer expertise, with specialised Syrian staff taking part. At the foundation-stone event, Al-Issa said the project would provide about 800 jobs (SANA); he told Al-Watan that expected jobs across the construction and operation phases range from 800 to 1,000, with priority for residents of Raqqa governorate. SANA quoted Al-Hariri as saying the plant matters for covering the basic building-material needs of Raqqa and Hasakah governorates and for cutting the substantial transport costs by supplying cement locally.

About Jiangsu Pengfei Group

Jiangsu Pengfei Group is a Chinese manufacturer of rotary kilns and grinding equipment, based in Hai'an, Jiangsu Province, China. Its website describes it as an EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) service provider offering customized one-stop solutions covering design, procurement, construction and trial operation, and lists EP/EPC cement production lines among its products. According to its website and its 2024 interim report filed with HKEXnews, the group is listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (China PengFei Group Limited, stock code 3348, since 15 November 2019).

Frequently Asked Questions

Who are the parties to the agreement?

The agreement announced on 29 April 2026 was signed in the People's Republic of China between AlHasan Holding Group and China's Jiangsu Pengfei Group. SANA's report on the foundation-stone event says the project is carried out in coordination between AlHasan Holding Group and the Ministry, in partnership with a Chinese company.

Where will the plant be located?

In the city of Ain Issa, in the northern countryside of Raqqa governorate, where the foundation stone was laid on 13 October 2026. The reasons that AlHasan Holding Group board member Ibrahim Al-Issa gave for choosing the site are set out in the 13.10.2026 update.

What is the planned production capacity?

The April 2026 announcement, attributed to the Ministry's official channels, gave 7,000 tonnes of cement and 5,000 tonnes of clinker per day. At the foundation-stone event, SANA quoted a planned capacity of more than 6,000 tonnes per day (Syria TV specifies cement), and Al-Issa gave expected clinker capacity as 5,000 tonnes (reported as per day by Syria TV and Al-Watan).

When is the project expected to be completed?

The April 2026 announcement estimated about two years. In October 2026, SANA quoted Al-Hariri as saying that the project will take two and a half years from its first construction stages to the final production lines, and Al-Issa told Al-Watan that construction, fit-out and the start of actual production will take two to two and a half years.

What is the stated purpose of the project?

According to the April 2026 announcement, attributed to the Ministry's official channels, the project aims to revive strategic industries, reduce dependence on imports, meet local demand for building materials and support reconstruction and infrastructure projects.

UPDATE 13.10.2026, FOUNDATION STONE LAID IN AIN ISSA

The foundation stone was laid on 13 October 2026. SANA reported that the Syrian Ministry of Economy and Industry, in cooperation with Raqqa Governorate, laid the foundation stone of the cement plant in the city of Ain Issa, in the northern countryside of Raqqa, with Governor Abdul Rahman Salama taking part. SANA added that the project is carried out in coordination between AlHasan Holding Group and the Ministry, in partnership with a Chinese company that it does not name, and that the relevant bodies in Raqqa Governorate and the Syrian Investment Authority, together with AlHasan Holding Group, presented the project's details and phases at a press conference held in Ain Issa before the ceremony (Syria TV describes them as representatives). Al-Watan's account has AlHasan Holding Group laying the stone in the governor's presence, with the governor announcing the start of the project's implementation.

Capacity and timeline, as stated by the speakers. Siraj Al-Hariri, Director General of the General Establishment of Geology and Mineral Resources at the Ministry of Energy, told SANA that planned capacity exceeds 6,000 tonnes per day (Syria TV specifies cement) and that the project will take two and a half years from its first construction stages to the start-up of the final production lines. Ibrahim Al-Issa, a board member of AlHasan Holding Group, told SANA that the plant will produce clinker locally with an expected capacity of 5,000 tonnes of clinker (Syria TV and Al-Watan report the figure as per day), and that the project will provide around 800 jobs. In a statement to Al-Watan, Al-Issa gave the plant's estimated capacity as about 7,000 tonnes of cement and 5,000 tonnes of clinker per day, and said that construction, fit-out and the start of actual production will take two to two and a half years.

Cost, workforce and expertise. According to Al-Issa, speaking to Al-Watan, the total cost of the project is about US$200 million; around 350 people from Syria, China and Turkey, among them experts, technicians and workers, will make up the construction team; expected jobs across the construction and operation phases range from 800 to 1,000, with priority for residents of Raqqa governorate; and the group will draw on technical expertise from China and Turkey alongside Syrian staff.

Location and purpose. Explaining the choice of Ain Issa, Al-Issa told Al-Watan that the raw materials the plant needs are available there, including stone that suits clinker kilns, and that no cement plant serves the area. According to SANA, Al-Hariri said the plant is meant to cover the building-material needs of Raqqa and Hasakah governorates and to reduce the transport costs involved by supplying cement locally.