Displaying items by tag: Government
Mineral Products Association makes five new appointments
23 November 2022UK: The Mineral Products Association (MPA) has appointed Jon Flitney, Michael Conroy, Liam Forde, Steve Callow and Mike Haynes to new roles at the organisation. This follows the appointment of Jon Prichard as the MPA’s chief executive officer in October 2022, succeeding Nigel Jackson.
Jon Flitney has joined MPA Cement as Energy and Climate Change Manager. He will be working with the MPA Cement Climate Change and CO2 Reduction group providing support to sector decarbonisation and associated policies. Flitney joins from the British Ceramic Confederation (BCC) where he has worked across energy, environment, climate change and decarbonisation policy areas for over six years. He also previously worked on air quality and environmental protection for local authorities and the Environment Agency, covering a variety of manufacturing industries.
Michael Conroy joins as Manager - Environment, Safety & Regulatory Affairs for MPA Cement. He has over 20 years’ experience in the mineral products industry and ,since 2016, this has been focussed on environmental management, compliance, permitting and regulation across various sectors within the industry. His role at MPA involves working with members in the cement sector and liaising with the environmental regulators and relevant government departments on behalf of the members to ensure the sector is recognised in a positive and beneficial way. He is secretariat for the Cement Regulatory Interface Group (RIG), which meets regularly to discuss environmental regulatory matters that affect and impact the UK cement sector.
Liam Forde has joined BRMCA/MPA Ready-mixed Concrete as Construction Manager. His main responsibilities will be working with MPA members, the Concrete Centre and UK Concrete to promote safety, best practice, and ready-mixed concrete as the best solution for sustainable and resilient construction. Forde is a chartered civil engineer and joins from BAM Nuttall having had a background in both design and site environments.
Steve Callow has joined as Manager, Masonry and Concrete Products. He joins from Marshalls where he was Specification Manager. He also has sector experience gained from roles in FP McCann, CPM, Milbury Systems and Carillion.
Mike Haynes has joined MPA as British Lime Association Director. He joins MPA after 18 years in the lime industry working in the sales and customer services teams responsible for Construction and Civil Engineering markets and progressing to managing the customer services team. Prior to this, Haynes worked for contractors and consultants in those markets, as an engineer and project manager.
US: Cemex USA and RTI International have secured US$3.7m in funding from the US Department of Energy for their Balcones cement plant amine technology carbon capture study. The plant in New Braunfels, Texas, will trial RTI International's non-aqueous solvent (NAS) system, licensed by energy and technology company SLB. Resources News has reported that the system will have a CO2 capture capacity of 670,000t/yr. RTI International's principal project investigator Vijay Gupta said that NAS capture has a 30 - 40% lower energy penalty than preceding solvent-based technologies.
Cemex USA president Jaime Muguiro said "We remain committed to exploring technologies that can help us meet our targets as we build a more sustainable future. We are striving to cut emissions across all our operations, and this study with RTI International is one of the many steps Cemex is taking to achieve our objectives."
Zementwerk Lübeck operating reduced hours due to energy prices
23 November 2022Germany: Zementwerk Lübeck is reportedly only operating its grinding plant at night and at the weekend due to high electricity prices. Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) reports that the cement producer has also been forced to suspend production at times. However, government support is expected to help the plant to continue operation into 2023. NDR also reports that 80% of industrial plants in Schleswig-Holstein are threatened by energy costs. Zementwerk Lübeck operates a 0.3Mt/yr cement grinding plant at Lübeck.
1.8Mt/yr Qubodiyon cement plant construction receives Tajik parliamentary clearance
22 November 2022Tajikistan: The Tajik parliament has ratified an agreement for the construction of a 1.8Mt/yr integrated cement plant at Qubodiyon in Khatlon Province. ASIPLU News has reported that the government signed an agreement with Orien Invest for the plant's construction on 7 September 2022. Orien Invest said that it hopes to attract US$160m-worth of foreign investment in the project. When commissioned, the Qubodiyon cement plant will be Tajikistan's largest and create 1300 new jobs locally.
During the first nine months of 2022, Tajikistan produced 3.2Mt of cement, down by 0.7% year-on-year from nine-month 2021 volumes. Full-year production was 4.2Mt in 2021, in line with the two previous years.
Holcim US fined US$100,000 for alleged dust emissions
21 November 2022US: The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) has ordered Holcim US to pay a US$100,000 fine for alleged fugitive dust emissions from its Theodore cement plant in Mobile. Between February and August 2022, witnesses reported multiple dust plumes sighted above the plant, which is situated on the Theodore canal. AL.Com News has reported that, while neither admitting or denying the contentions, Holcim US said that it has taken actions affecting its raw materials unloading processes to ensure compliance.
Plant manager Clay Copeland said “We have worked closely with the ADEM to address concerns raised earlier this year."
Bui Xuan Dung appointed as chair of Vietnam Cement Corporation
16 November 2022Vietnam: The Ministry of Construction has appointed Bui Xuan Dung as the chair of the Vietnam Cement Corporation (VICEM).
Bui Xuan Dung trained as a civil engineer and holds a master’s degree in business administration. He worked for the Hanoi Construction Corporation from 1995 to 2021 becoming its General Director in 2015. Since 2021 he has held the post of Director of the Housing and Real Estate Market Management Department at the Ministry of Construction.
VICEM is a state-owned cement producer controlled by the Ministry of Construction. It operates 16 production lines at 10 plants and holds around 35% of the country’s market share in the cement sector.
Philippines Department of Trade and Industry backs recommendation to cut import duties on cement
11 November 2022Philippines: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has backed a recommendation from the Tariff Commission (TC) to repeal import duties on Ordinary Portland Cement and Blended Cement. The so-called safeguard measures were originally introduced in October 2019 for a period of three years, according to the Philippine Star newspaper. The latest investigation by the TC was started due to a request by the Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (CEMAP). However, it found that the domestic cement industry was generally profitable and it said, “There is no existence of an imminent threat of serious injury and significant overall impairment to the position of the domestic cement industry in the near future.” CEMAP said it was saddened by the recommendation of the TC and that it would jeopardise the local sector’s progress.
Canada publishes roadmap to net-zero carbon concrete by 2050
11 November 2022Canada: The government and the Cement Association of Canada have published the ‘Roadmap to Net-Zero Carbon Concrete by 2050.’ The document details how cement and concrete producers and legislators could achieve net-zero CO2 emissions from the cement and concrete sector by 2050. The joint government-industry working group next plans to release an action plan explaining how the sector will reduce its CO2 emissions by up to 40% by 2030 and a plan for research and development required to meet the 2050 target. The country’s cement and concrete industry says it has committed to reducing over 15Mt of greenhouse gases cumulatively by 2030 and achieving net-zero by 2050.
“Decarbonising concrete is a necessity, and Canada’s cement and concrete industry has demonstrated that it is up to the task. This roadmap demonstrates our industry’s leadership in CO2 emissions reduction and positions us to achieve our goal of net-zero cement by 2050,” said Marie Glenn, chair of the Cement Association of Canada. Association president and chief executive officer Adam Auer added, “While we are steadfast in our commitment to reduce our emissions by 15MT cumulatively by 2030 and reach true net-zero by 2050, we know we can’t do it alone. Together in collaboration with government we will continue to support the innovation and investment needed on our path to delivering net-zero concrete, while at the same time preserving its properties as a durable, resilient, versatile, and cost-effective material.”
Catch4Climate to start building oxyfuel pilot unit at Mergelstetten
10 November 2022Germany: The Catch4Climate project says it is ready to build an oxyfuel pilot unit at Schwenk Zement’s Mergelstetten plant following approval by the Stuttgart Regional Council. The project comprises Dyckerhoff, Heidelberg Materials, Schwenk Zement and Vicat, and It has set up a research company called CI4C to run it. Over Euro120m will be invested towards building a dedicated 450t/day production line to test the oxyfuel process. Jürgen Thormann, the Technical Managing Director of CI4C, said that this is the first time a so-called ‘pure’ oxyfuel process will be used for CO2 capture. At a later stage in the project the consortium plans to use the captured CO2 to produce so-called ‘reFuels’, climate-neutral synthetic fuels such as kerosene for aircraft, with the help of renewable electrical energy. Commissioning of the unit is scheduled for mid-2024.
Police and protestors clash at ACC Masturi cement plant hearing
04 November 2022India: A violent disturbance brought an end to a public hearing over ACC's plans to establish a new integrated cement plant in Masturi, Chhattisgarh, on 3 November 2022. Police reportedly used 'mild force' to subdue protestors who claimed that ACC has acted illegally. The Free Press Journal has reported that land recorded by ACC as 'barren' in document submissions is allegedly used by residents for cultivation of rice and other crops.
Limestone mining has already commenced at the Masturi site.