Cimenterie Nationale s.a.l (ALSABEH CEMENT) announces, with deep regret, that after more than seventy years of production and service to the Lebanese economy, it finds itself compelled to halt cement manufacturing and delivery operations, and to request its employees to remain at home.
This decision comes after the company incurred substantial losses in recent years due to its forced inability to exploit its quarries, as a result of the refusal of the relevant official authorities to grant the necessary permits, despite the company’s legally and judicially established right to such permits. Indeed:
- The company obtained approval from the National Council for Quarries and Crushers to exploit its quarries as early as 2015; however, the government has since refrained from issuing the permit in accordance with applicable laws.
- In 2024, the State Council (Shura Council) issued a final ruling confirming the company’s right to obtain the said permit, yet the government failed to implement this decision to date.
- Since June 2025, the company submitted a comprehensive new file requesting a 10-year permit, which has not yet received approval from the concerned authorities. This permit includes the rehabilitation of previously exploited sites in accordance with the most stringent internationally recognized environmental standards.
Accordingly, the company, which provides more than 580 direct jobs and 1,800 indirect jobs for Lebanese workers, can only express its astonishment at the inaction of the State and its officials in the face of the potential disappearance of one of the key pillars of the national industry, at a time when Lebanon is in dire need of the cement industry for its recovery and reconstruction.
The company therefore reserves all its rights to claim appropriate compensation.
Cimenterie Nationale s.a.l