Penden Cement Authority Limited organised a two-day awareness programme in Gomtu, Samtse, to inform engineers about the benefits of Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) blocks, a new construction material produced by the company. These AAC blocks are prefabricated, easy to maintain, and provide excellent insulation and long-lasting durability. Around 24 engineers from Phuentshogling Thromde attended the event.
Talking to the engineers, the Penden Cement CEO said AAC blocks are lightweight, eco-friendly, thermal-resistant, pest-resistant, and cost-effective compared to traditional red bricks.
Karma Thinley, the CEO of Penden Cement Authority Limited said “Through our calculations, and through findings of experts and research, the cost benefit between using red bricks and AAC block, there is an overall cost saving of 28 per cent in the construction works. So, if a person is going to construct a house with AAC blocks amounting to one million then he is going to save about Nu 280,000 in construction itself.”
For comparison, a demonstration was held where two workers using 132 red bricks took 80 minutes to construct a small wall.
The same task took 30 minutes and required only nine AAC blocks.
According to the CEO, red brick production emits around 500 kilogrammes of carbon dioxide per cubic metre, while AAC blocks produce only 100 kilogrammes.
He added that this initiative is to promote AAC blocks use nationwide.
“Basically, the main objective is to develop the capacity of our engineers, who then can translate this knowledge into the construction industries, so that there are multiple benefits that we can reap from the new technology that has been coming up.”
PCAL plans to hold similar programmes for engineers nationwide, with engineers from Samtse district set to attend the next session next month.
The production facility, which began operations last year after COVID-19-related delays, currently produces over 6,000 AAC blocks daily, sold at about Nu 60 a block.
Passang Dorji, Samtse
Edited by Sherub Dorji
