Displaying items by tag: Government
India: The Indian government has published a list of 36 companies committed to supplying 9.5Mt of cement in 2015 for road building. The cement will be sold at a price below market rates with a fixed upper limit of US$2.70/bag. The Ministry has decided to build concrete cement roads in place of traditional bitumen roads as it views them as cost-effective and requiring less maintenance.
"After taking consent of the manufacturers we have put the list on a dedicated website, which any company or government agency can access to book their orders. Since the factories are spread all over the country, they can make the best choice. As per the contract, manufacturers can only reduce the price and increase their commitment to supply more cement," said road transport minister Nitin Gadkari. "Once the reduced price is out, it will have effect on other manufacturers and prices across companies may fall," he added.
Minor mineral mining, including gypsum, now under state control
06 February 2015India: The Centre of Mining has decided to put 31 minerals under the control of state governments by scaling down their status from major to minor as part of a mining policy change, according to Mines minister Narendra Singh Tomar. This allows states to decide the mining lease of the minerals, which account for about 60% of the total leased area in the country.
The decentralised minerals include gypsum, quartz, chalk and china clay. The change in policy will let states decide the rate of royalty, contribution to the district mineral foundation, procedure for grant of mineral concessions and rules. The Mines Ministry will allow states' public sector undertakings to explore minerals in areas under their jurisdiction.
"It is an important step in fulfilling the minimum government, maximum governance motto of our government," said Tomar. "This is being done to devolve more power to the states and expedite the process of mineral development in the country." States cannot lease out major minerals such as coal and iron ore without mandatory clearances from central ministries. High revenue earners, coal and iron ore, retain their positions as major minerals even after the policy shift.
The decision to broaden the list of minor minerals should drastically shorten the lease approval process because the state would be dealing with all the paperwork. Production should also increase. However, India could be treading on a minefield of environmental degradation if adequate protection measures are not taken.
Itacamba Cemento to import 50,000t of cement in 2015
14 January 2015Bolivia: Itacamba Cemento intends to import 50,000t of cement in 2015 to guarantee supplies in Santa Cruz. Itacamba Cemento will also raise its production by 6% in 2015 to 3.6 million bags.
Cement demand in Bolivia is expected to increase by 8 - 10% in 2015 according to estimates by the local cement industry. However, due to insufficient local production, cement has to be imported. In 2014 the government used Insumos Bolivia to import about 600,000 bags of cement. A similar amount is planned for import in 2015.
Guillermo Schrupp, the president of the Construction Chamber in the Santa Cruz department of Bolivia, Cadecocruz, has said at least two or three more cement plants are needed in the medium to long term in order to meet rising demand until the Rositas hydroelectric dam is completed in 2018.
Belarus government to repay cement companies’ debts to China
07 January 2015Belarus: The Belarusian government will acquire additional stakes in three cement companies in exchange for helping them to repay loans to China's Eximbank. The Council of Ministers has issued a directive that provides for restructuring the overdue debts incurred by Belarusian Cement Plant, Krychawtsementnashyfer and Krasnaselskbudmateryyaly as of 1 October 2014.
The three cement producers will receive the bailout on condition that they meet their profitability of sales targets for 2015 and fulfil their obligations to Eximbank starting 2015. Krasnaselskbudmateryyaly, Belarusian Cement Plant and Krychawtsementnashyfer owe US$34.4m, US$43.7m and US$50.6m to the Chinese bank, respectively, in overdue loan payments.
Ibeto and Nigercem ownership dispute continues
07 January 2015Nigeria: The Ebonyi State Government in Nigeria has warned Ibeto Cement Company over an alleged illegal entry into the premises of Nigercem cement premises located at Nkalagu. The entry was perceived as an act of provocation by governor Martin Elechi of Ebonyi State, as Nigercem is still subject of an ownership dispute in the courts.
"Following dispute between the State government and Ibeto Group on the ownership of Nigercem, Ebonyi State Government exercised its illegal right of land ownership by revoking the certificate of all the land upon which Nigercem is situated," said Elechi. "By going into the premises of Nigercem without the permission of the State Government, the Ibeto Group has demonstrated an alarming desire to acquire the God-given mineral wealth of Ebonyi people for its interest".
Eastern Bulkcem Nigeria Limited owns a 65% stake in Nigercem. The origins of the current dispute arise from Eastern Bulkcem's failure to modernise the ageing plant, instead opting to use its ownership of the plant to obtain import licences for bulk cement. The Ebonyi State Government resorted to extra-judicial means to shut it down, revoking Nigercem's certificate of occupancy pending a Judicial Commission to investigate the state of affairs in the company.
EPA sets national coal ash regulations for US
22 December 2014US: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the first national regulations to provide for the safe disposal of coal ash from coal-fired power plants. The ruling establishes safeguards to protect communities from coal ash impoundment failures and establishes safeguards to prevent groundwater contamination and air emissions from coal ash disposal.
"The EPA is taking action to protect our communities from the risk of mismanaged coal ash disposal units and putting in place safeguards to help prevent the next catastrophic coal ash impoundment failure, which can cost millions for local businesses, communities and States," said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy.
The new federal regulations include:
- The closure of surface impoundments and landfills that fail to meet engineering and structural standards and will no longer receive coal ash;
- Reducing the risk of catastrophic failure by requiring regular inspections of the structural safety of surface impoundments;
- Restrictions on the location of new surface impoundments and landfills so that they cannot be built in sensitive areas such as wetlands and earthquake zones;
- Protecting groundwater by requiring monitoring, immediate clean up of contamination and closure of unlined surface impoundments that are polluting groundwater;
- Protecting communities using fugitive dust controls to reduce windblown coal ash dust;
- Requiring liner barriers for new units and proper closure of surface impoundments and landfills that will no longer receive coal combustion residues.
In response to feedback on the proposal, the ruling clarifies the technical requirements for coal ash landfills and surface impoundments under Subtitle D of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the country's primary law for regulating solid waste. Implementation of the technical requirements will be reported through disclosure to States, and communities. Examples of this include power plants providing information to the public and States and new transparency requirements, including recordkeeping and reporting requirements, as well as the requirement for each facility to post specific information to a publicly-accessible website. This final rule also supports the responsible recycling of coal ash by distinguishing safe, beneficial use from disposal.
Ethiopian ministry releases strategy to increases cement consumption to 20Mt/yr by 2025
22 December 2014Ethiopia: The Ministry of Industry has released a draft Cement Industry Development Strategy that intends to increase domestic cement consumption to 20Mt/yr by 2025. Around US$30m will be required to realise the strategy plan that will include providing support to cement plants and overcoming the general shortage of cement in the country. The draft strategy was prepared by the Adama Science and Technology University and has been discussed by stakeholders. At present Ethiopia consumes 6Mt/yr of cement.
Turkmenistan to build 1Mt/yr cement plant in Koytendag
22 December 2014Turkmenistan: Turkmenistan plans to build a new 1Mt/yr cement plant in the Koytendag region of the Lebap Province, the industry ministry has said. Railway infrastructure has already been established in the region that will support the project. The new plant is part of the country's 'Programme for Development of Construction and Industrial Sectors in 2012 - 2016,' which is designed to modernise the country's building materials industries.
Kazakhstan to meet domestic demand for cement
03 December 2014Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan intends to meet its domestic demand for cement, according to Albert Rau, Vice Minister for Investments and Development and local media.
"Given that at the start of 2015 a cement facility capable of producing 500, 000t/yr will be launched in Rudny, production capabilities of 2Mt/yr will be launched at Kokshe-Cement Enterprise, BI Cement facility is to be started in Akmolinsk Oblast and a number of cement making facilities based in Shymkent are to be modernised, we are ready to meet the domestic demand for cement," said Rau.
Rau added that Kazakhstan had imported over 1Mt of cement in 2013. "Most of the issues geographical. All the production facilities are concentrated in the east, in Karaganda and in the south. The west of Kazakhstan relies on imported cement." He explained that President Nazarbayev had set a target for the country to meet 80% for all types of construction materials by 2014. In 2014 this figure was 74 – 75%.
Tanzania cement output set to rise to 6Mt/yr
27 November 2014Tanzania: Tanzania expects to double its cement production to 6Mt/yr in the next few years as new plants are commissioned to meet demand from the construction sector, according to comments made in parliament by Deputy Minister for Industry and Trade, Janet Mbene. Tanzania's cement output rose by 18.9% in 2013 to slightly above 3Mt due to higher demand. Mbene said the rise in output would mean Tanzania would produce a surplus to be exported.
Cement producers currently operating in the country include Tanzania Portland Cement - a subsidiary of Heidelberg Cement, Tanga Cement – a subsidiary of Afrisam Mauritius Investment Holdings and Mbeya Cement – a subsidiary of Lafarge. Lake Cement and Lee Cement Factory are the two newest entrants in Tanzania's cement manufacturing and marketing sector with their core products under brand names of Nyati cement and Kilwa cement respectively. Dangote is also building a 3Mt/yr cement plant in Mtwara Region.