Displaying items by tag: Government
India: The state government of Jammu and Kashmir has required that all of its departments in Jammu Valley should buy cement from Jammu and Kashmir Cements as a first preference. Government order 89-IND of 2016 enforces the order according to the Early Times. Under the directive all relevant departments are only able to purchase cement from the open market where Jammu and Kashmir Cements is unable to supply the order and a non-availability certificate is obtained.
UNACEM recognised as eco-efficient company by government
15 April 2016Ecuador: Union Andina de Cementos (UNACEM) has been recognised as an eco-efficient company by the Ministry for the Environment. The certification is given to companies that have demonstrated environmentally friendly production. Unacem submitted four case studies to qualify for the certification, according to La Hora. These included examples of using slag to produce clinker and co-processing alternative fuels like palm kernel shell and waste oils.
Vietnam: Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has agreed to add the Thaicement Ha Tien plant in Kien Giang to a portfolio of projects to be invested in the 2011-2020 period with a vision to 2030. The cement plant will have a production capacity of 4.5Mt/yr.
Nguyen has assigned the Ministry of Construction and People’s Committee of Kien Giang province to conduct a survey and exploration of limestone and clay deposits and present it to the National Mineral Reserves Councils for approval before granting an investment license. He also requested the relevant agencies to assess the financial capacity of the investor, which must be able to provide at least 20% of the project’s total investment under current regulations.
The Ministry of Construction has forecast that Vietnam's sales of cement and clinker will rise by 4 - 7% year-on-year to up to 77Mt in 2016 despite economic problems.
Ratings agency says LafargeHolcim to benefit from Indian infrastructure spending growth
12 April 2016India: Government plans to increase spending on infrastructure projects will benefit LafargeHolcim according to Moody's Investor Service. The second largest cement producer in India will gain from uneven regional demand, with a much larger scale and more prominent operations in northern India, where it sells almost 42% of its local cement volume.
LafargeHolcim and other European cement manufacturers with a presence in India are likely to benefit if the Indian government's plans to ramp up infrastructure spending happen in the next 12 to 18 months. The 2016 Union Budget contained plans to hike public infrastructure spending, especially on roads, which could revive stagnant cement demand in the country.
According to the government's 12th Five Year Plan (2012 - 17) investment in infrastructure should increase from 7.6% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2014 to 9% in 2017. However, cement demand for government-funded projects has been weak in the last four years with many construction schemes delayed or put on hold. As a result, while infrastructure investment will be a key growth driver, the timing of such investment remains uncertain.
However, Moody’s also noted that European multinational cement producers based in the south of the country with limited geographical spread would be more exposed to local overcapacity in this region. This included HeidelbergCement, Italcementi and CRH.
Israel restricts entry of cement into Gaza
06 April 2016Gaza/Israel: Israel has once again blocked the entry of cement and other construction materials into the Gaza Strip for private sector projects. It accused Hamas, the militant Islamic organisation in control of the territory, of using the materials to build tunnels in violation of an agreement made after the 2014 Gaza war. The ban will not affect supplies to large international construction projects such as those coordinated by the United Nations.
Armenia: Minister of Economy Artsvik Minasyan is hopeful that production will continue at the Hrazdan Cement Company once control of the plant is taken over by its creditor, the VTB Bank (Armenia). Minasyan made the comments to the Arminfo news agency.
In February 2016 the Armenian government approved a draft decision to release Hrazdan Cement from a US$1.06m fine. Former Minister of Economy Karen Chshmaritian announced that the VTB Bank would provide a US$4.6m recovery loan to the plant. The intention was to reach a cement production level of 0.2Mt/yr and create 250 new jobs. In 2015 around 80,000t of cement was produced. Most of this was exported.
Hrazdan Cement, originally known as Mika Cement, was built in 1970. The company was privatised in 2001 and has had financial problems since 2013. The cement plant has two production lines and a clinker production capacity of 1Mt/yr and a cement production capacity of 1.2Mt/yr.
Italy: Italian economic development minister Federica Guidi is scheduled to meet with Bernd Scheifele, CEO of HeidelbergCement, to discuss its acquisition of Italcementi. The transaction has been closely followed by the minister since its announcement and Guidi had already met Scheifele in the early stages of the process, according to the Il Sole 24 Ore newspaper. HeidelbergCement had asked for more time to complete competition requirements at the European level before this latest meeting.
Colombia: Cementos Argos has launched energy saving measures that could contribute close to 10% of the energy saving goals of the Colombian national government. The cement producer has joined the energy savings campaign promoted by the government by taking additional measures at its plants and offices that can help conserve this important resource.
Cementos Argos intends to deliver excess energy from its self-generation plants of about 30MW to the domestic electrical network and limit the use of its 16 cement mills during peak hours, which will represent savings of about 38MW. In addition it will maximize its use of flexitime and day work to limit the use of electrical energy at its administrative offices. With these measures the company hopes to save the equivalent of the consumption of close to 100,000 homes per day and of close to 130,000 homes during peak hours.
“We are convinced that by joining our efforts, we can multiply results. That is why, if all companies and families put their best foot forward, we can all contribute to energy saving and create habits that allow us to preserve resources that are fundamental to our planet’s sustainability,” said Jorge Mario Velásquez, CEO of Cementos Argos.
Uzbekistan puts Kyzilkumcement on sale
16 March 2016Uzbeksitan: Uzbekistan has put on sale state shares in Kyzylkumcement. According to the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Privatization, Demonopolization and Development of Competition, the government wants to sell a 35.9% state shares or 160,658,567 shares in Kyzylkumcement for a total of over US$160m. Sales of the state-owned cement producer will be handled by the block-trading section of Uzbekistan Stock Exchange.
Kyzylkumcement was launched in 1977. It is the largest cement plant in Uzbekistan with a production capacity of 3.1Mt/yr.
India: Opposition politicians in Meghalaya have warned the state government over management concerns regarding the Mawmluh Cherra Cement plant. The state owned cement plant stopped production in mid-2014. The local government has since announced that it intends to loan the company US$12m towards paying off bills from an upgrade project started in 2005 including loan payments, power bills and salary costs, according to the Indian Telegraph. After upgrades are completed the plant will have a cement production capacity of 600t/day.
"I know in the past the government used to appoint Tom, Dick and Harry to manage the MCCL. However, if we want the factory and other public sector units of the state to be free from ailments, we need a strong management and run it professionally," said former state chief minister Donkupar Roy at the state assembly. He also demanded that the head office of the factory be moved to Sohra.