04 October 2017
Chinese cement production slipping so far in 2017 04 October 2017
China: Cement production has fallen by 0.5% year-on-year to 1.5Bt in the first eight months of 2017. This compares to a rise of 2.5% in the same period in 2016, according to data from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). The Xinhua News Agency has also reported that the property sector stagnated in major cities due to government moves to prevent speculation.
Opposition political party backs tyre burning ban in Nova Scotia 04 October 2017
Canada: The New Democratic Party has called for a ban of burning tyres in Nova Scotia. The opposition political party held a news conference with opponents of the government's decision in July 2017 to approve a one-year pilot project allowing Lafarge Canada to burn tyres for energy at the company's Brookfield cement plant, according to the Canadian Press newspaper. No tyres have been burned at the plant so far as the cement producer waits for industrial approval of the project from the provincial government.
Mark Butler of the Ecology Action Centre said the government’s decision was based on a Dalhousie University engineering study that was too narrow in its focus and wasn't peer reviewed. However the government has said that it used several technical studies to inform its decision. A group of local residents also started legal action in August 2017 on the grounds that the project violated the province's Environment Act.
Akmenes Cementas strikes deal with creditors 04 October 2017
Lithuania: Akmenes Cementas has managed to strike a deal with its creditors over the extension of a loan it took out in 2007. The cement producer has been in talks with various banks since mid-2016 to postpone the loan settlement deadline by three years, according to the Baltic Business Daily. However, Akmenes Cementas went to court and asked for an obligation for the banks to comply with the loan payment schedule signed in May 2017. Legal action was dropped in late September 2017 when the banks agreed to continue crediting the company under a deal. The loan currently stands at Euro53m.
Ethiopia: Ethiopia earned US$17.3m from exports of 0.2Mt of cement exports in its latest financial year that ended on 7 July 2017. The Chemical and Construction Input Industry Development Institute added that the country’s cement industry is planning to reach a production capacity of 27Mt/yr by the end of the Second Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP-II) in the 2019 – 2020 year, according to the Walta Information and Public Relations Centre.