Rîbnița Cement Plant
A major cement and lime producer in Rîbnița, Transnistria, with an important role in the region's construction industry, employment and public finances.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Rîbnița Cement Plant is an industrial cement works in the town of Rîbnița, located in Moldova's internationally recognized territory but administered by the de facto authorities of the breakaway region of Transnistria. Established during the Soviet period, it became Moldova's first cement plant and developed into one of the principal industrial assets supporting the economy of Transnistria. Its core activities are the manufacture and export of cement and lime, with additional technical capacity to produce asbestos-cement roofing sheets. Construction began in 1958, and the first production line entered service on 6 November 1961. Two further lines followed in 1962 and 1970. During the 1970s and 1980s, reconstruction and modernization increased the plant's productive importance. At its historical peak, the works could produce approximately 1.24 million tonnes of cement and 948,000 tonnes of clinker annually, with a designed cement capacity of about 1.25 million tonnes. Its output helped supply construction across the Soviet Moldavian republic and contributed to the development of other large industrial enterprises in Transnistria, including the Moldova Steel Works. The plant experienced substantial instability after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the 1990s Transnistrian conflict. Difficulties intensified in 2002 and 2003. In September 2004, a stake controlled by the Transnistrian authorities was sold to the Hungarian construction company Tegep for a nominal price, subject to an investment obligation. The privatization and appointment of a bankruptcy trustee were followed by an improvement in the company's financial position. According to accounts cited in reference material, the company subsequently cleared historical debts and other outstanding obligations. Russian mining and metallurgy group Metalloinvest acquired control in 2007 and held the majority stake during the period when Alisher Usmanov was associated with both the cement plant and the Moldova Steel Works. In 2015, the assets were returned to the Transnistrian authorities after being described as unprofitable, and the cement plant's majority stake was transferred to local businessmen Piotr Babii and Oleg Babii, respectively a father and son who had held senior management roles at the company. The plant sells cement inside Transnistria and Moldova and exports principally to Russia. Because Transnistria lacks international recognition as a separate state, products exported outside the region must use a “Made in Moldova” country-of-origin designation. The plant has historically held a substantial portion of Moldova's cement market, estimated at about 40% in a 2015 account, with the remainder largely associated with the Lafarge plant at Rezina. Its principal cement products include bulk or bagged PC 500 DO and PC 400 D20 grades. Lime is another important product, and the plant retains the ability to manufacture asbestos-cement roof shingles. Economic conditions have repeatedly affected production. A sharp rise in natural-gas prices in 2013 contributed to a complete halt in production and exports at the cement and steel plants in Rîbnița, producing major monthly losses and depriving the Transnistrian budget of taxes from enterprises that had previously supplied a significant share of public revenue. Ukrainian anti-dumping duties introduced in 2019 on cement from Moldova, Belarus and Russia also affected the plant's access to the Ukrainian market; the Moldovan measure was set at 95 percent. The plant remains strategically important to Rîbnița and Transnistria. It has been one of the region's major employers, a major supplier to local construction projects and one of the largest contributors to local and regional public finances. At the same time, it has been criticized for environmental impacts. Research cited in reference material estimated substantial annual pollutant emissions, while Moldovan environmental officials identified the plant in 2022 as Transnistria's largest pollution source and criticized its lack of modern emission controls and its absence of authorization from Moldovan authorities. The plant is also associated with the storage of highly toxic acid tars transferred from the Rîbnița metallurgical plant in 2003. Gas shortages caused another shutdown from late October to early December 2022. The plant closed again on 11 January 2025 after gas supplies to Transnistria stopped during a new energy crisis. About half of the reported workforce of 650 was sent home while the remainder performed cleaning, maintenance and repair work. Operations reportedly resumed in March 2025. On 16 May 2025, the de facto Transnistrian president signed legislation placing 25 percent of the plant's shares, valued at 32.5 million Transnistrian rubles, up for privatization as the regional government faced financial pressure after the energy crisis.
History
The Rîbnița Cement Plant was built in the industrial zone of Rîbnița during the Soviet period. Construction started in 1958, the first line opened on 6 November 1961, a second line followed in October 1962, and a third was added in the early 1970s. Reconstruction during the 1970s and 1980s made the plant one of the largest cement works in the Moldavian Soviet republic, with historical annual output reaching approximately 1.24 million tonnes of cement and 948,000 tonnes of clinker. The works became central to the industrialization of Transnistria. Its cement supplied housing, roads, industrial facilities and commercial buildings, while its presence helped support the expansion of neighboring enterprises such as the Moldova Steel Works, Moldavizolit and Moldavkabel. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the emergence of Transnistria as a de facto separate administration, the plant passed through a period of financial and operational instability. It encountered serious difficulties in 2002 and 2003 before a 2004 privatization transferred a state-held stake to Tegep, a Hungarian construction company, for a symbolic price subject to an investment program. The company also entered bankruptcy-trustee administration. The subsequent restructuring reportedly enabled it to settle historical debts and other payables. Metalloinvest acquired control in 2007. During the following years the cement plant and the Moldova Steel Works were associated with Alisher Usmanov's industrial holdings. Both assets were returned to the Transnistrian authorities in 2015 after being considered unprofitable, and the cement plant's majority shareholding was transferred to Piotr and Oleg Babii. The ownership history reflects the plant's unusual position: it has operated as a commercial manufacturer while also remaining closely connected to the finances and industrial policy of the de facto Transnistrian administration. The plant manufactures cement in bulk and bags, including PC 500 DO and PC 400 D20 grades, and produces lime. It can also manufacture asbestos-cement roof shingles. Its products are sold within Transnistria and Moldova and exported, principally to Russia. External exports use a “Made in Moldova” designation because Transnistria is not internationally recognized as an independent state. Before later market and energy disruptions, the plant was among Moldova's major exporters and accounted for a substantial share of the domestic cement market. In 2008 it produced more than one million tonnes of cement, approximately 90 percent of which was exported to Russia. Output later fell to about 494,200 tonnes in 2014. Energy costs, weak construction demand and trade restrictions have repeatedly interrupted operations. In 2013, an increase in proposed business gas prices caused the cement and steel works to stop production and exports. Ukraine's 2019 anti-dumping measures further constrained access to a neighboring market. Gas-supply reductions produced another shutdown in late 2022, and a total stoppage of supplies to Transnistria caused a closure in January 2025. Reports indicated that operations resumed in March 2025. In May of that year, 25 percent of the shares were put up for privatization as the de facto regional government faced financial pressure. The plant's social and fiscal role is unusually large for a regional industrial facility. It has employed generations of residents, supplied essential material for local construction and ranked among the principal contributors to the budgets of Rîbnița and Transnistria. Its environmental record has also attracted criticism. Studies have associated production with large quantities of airborne pollutants and fine dust, and Moldovan officials in 2022 called it the largest source of pollution in Transnistria. Concerns include inadequate filtration, emissions affecting the Dniester basin and the storage in 2003 of highly toxic acid tars originating at the neighboring metallurgical plant. These issues, combined with the plant's political and economic importance, make it a significant case study in the industrial economy of the Transnistrian region.
- 2025
Shares offered for privatization
[1]Twenty-five percent of the shares are offered for privatization after an energy crisis creates financial pressure on the Transnistrian administration.
- 2019
Ukrainian anti-dumping duty
[1]Ukraine applies a 95 percent anti-dumping duty to cement imports from Moldova, affecting the plant's market access.
- 2015
Control returns to local ownership
[1]The assets are handed back to the Transnistrian state and the cement plant's majority stake is transferred to Piotr and Oleg Babii.
- 2007
Metalloinvest gains control
[1]Russian mining and metallurgy group Metalloinvest takes a majority position.
- 2004
Stake sold to Tegep
[1]A stake held by the Transnistrian authorities is sold to Tegep subject to a mandatory investment program and financial restructuring.
- 1993
International product awards
[1]The plant's cement receives an Arch of Europe Golden Star award in Madrid, while its SV-40/150 asbestos shingles receive the highest quality category in testing in Debrecen, Hungary.
- 1970
Third line enters operation
[1]A third production line is opened, supporting the plant's later expansion.
- 1962
Second line commissioned
[1]A second production line opens in October.
- 1961
First production line opens
[1]The first production line enters service on 6 November, making the plant Moldova's first cement works.
- 1958
Construction begins
[1]Construction of the Rîbnița cement works begins in the Soviet Moldavian republic.
Products and positioning
A regional heavy-industry supplier positioned around dependable cement and lime production for Transnistrian and Moldovan construction, with export capability focused historically on Russia. Its importance is institutional as well as commercial because it supports employment, construction supply and public revenue in Rîbnița and Transnistria.
Cement
PC 500 DO cement
A high-strength cement grade produced for construction applications and supplied in bulk or bags. It is one of the plant's named standard cement products and has been marketed in domestic and export channels.
Cement
PC 400 D20 cement
A general-purpose cement grade manufactured for building and infrastructure work. The product is sold domestically and has also formed part of the plant's export range.
Construction material
Lime
Industrial and construction lime is produced alongside cement and has been exported as a separate product. Lime output historically represented a smaller but continuing part of the plant's business.
Roofing material
Asbestos-cement roofing shingles
The plant has technical capacity to manufacture asbestos-cement roof shingles, including the SV-40/150 type cited in historical product-quality records.
Controversies
2022
Pollution and inadequate emissions controls
Moldovan environmental officials identified the plant as Transnistria's largest polluter and criticized the absence of adequate filters and Moldovan environmental authorization.
2003
Storage of toxic acid tars
Approximately 928 tonnes of highly toxic acid tars from the Rîbnița metallurgical plant were brought to the cement plant for storage under the stated description of alternative fuel, creating a significant environmental concern.
Brand decisions
2025
Partial privatization during energy crisisStrategyBackground
A prolonged energy crisis caused by the interruption of gas supplies placed pressure on the Transnistrian budget and industrial enterprises.
Action taken
Legislation offered 25 percent of the plant's shares for privatization.
Aftermath
The move indicated an attempt to raise funds or attract investment, although the final ownership outcome is not established in the supplied material.
Value of shares offered. 32.5 million Transnistrian rubles, reported as approximately 2 million US dollars (2025)
2015
Transfer to the Transnistrian state and Babii interestsM&ABackground
The associated industrial assets were considered unprofitable by their then-owner.
Action taken
The assets were handed to the Transnistrian state, after which the cement plant's majority stake went to Piotr and Oleg Babii.
Aftermath
Ownership became linked to local entrepreneurs who had held senior management positions at the plant.
2007
Metalloinvest acquisitionM&ABackground
The plant remained an important industrial asset but had moved through post-Soviet financial instability.
Action taken
Metalloinvest gained control and held the majority stake.
Aftermath
The cement plant became associated with the same industrial ownership structure as the Moldova Steel Works.
2004
Privatization and restructuringM&ABackground
The plant faced severe financial difficulties and carried a substantial debt burden.
Action taken
A state-held stake was sold to Tegep for a symbolic price, subject to a mandatory investment program, while a bankruptcy trustee was introduced.
Aftermath
The plant's financial position reportedly improved and historical debts and other outstanding obligations were settled.
Mandatory investment program. 1.4 million US dollars committed (2004)
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