In 2001, Heidelberg Materials began its market entry with acquisition of the Cesla cement plant. Close to St. Petersburg in the Leningrad region, the Cesla plant has a production capacity of around 1 million tonnes. Later Heidelberg Materials acquired its second cement plant in the city of Sterlitamak in the Republic of Bashkortostan, with a capacity of 1.8 million tonnes. The new Novogurovsky plant, located around 150 km south of Moscow in the Tula region, was built by Heidelberg Materials and has an annual cement production capacity of 2 million tonnes. The plant is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and was launched in July 2011.