BERLIN (IRNA) -- Germany's largest cement producer, Heidelberg Cement, will expand into Iran, the Caucasus and Caspian Sea region, the company announced Friday in a press release.

Heidelberg Cement plans to construct a new cement plant with a capacity of two million tons in western Kazakhstan.

The plant will supply the booming of the Caspian Sea region as well as neighboring markets in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Azerbaijan. These countries are faced with a cement shortage.

Heidelberg Cement's locations in Ukraine, in Georgia and the new plant in western Kazakhstan form a network for supplying the markets around the Caspian Sea.

With its large oil and gas deposits, the company expects strong economic growth, heavy investment in expanding infrastructure and a significant increase in cement consumption in this region. "We want to benefit from the growth potential of this rapidly growing market and establish a strong market position," said Bernd Scheifele, Chairman of the Managing Board of Heidelberg Cement.

"The expansion in Georgia and Kazakhstan is another important step in extending our entire network in Eastern Europe and Central Asia," he added.

Last year, the turnover of Heidelberg Cement rose by 12.6 percent to 7.8 billion euros.

With its core products, cement, ready-mixed concrete, aggregates and related products, the company is the fourth largest producer worldwide.

Heidelberg Cement employs around 43,000 people in over 50 countries.