Displaying items by tag: Government
Arizona, Maryland and Vermont governments approve Portland limestone cement for public procurement
11 May 2022US: The state governments of Arizona, Maryland and Vermont have approved the use of Portland limestone cement (PLC) in public construction projects. The rule changes bring the total number of states in which PLC may be used in this way to 44.
The Portland Cement Association (PCA) has welcomed the decision. The association said "Widespread acceptance of PLC marks a significant step to reducing the carbon footprint of concrete construction and advancing the goals laid out in the PCA Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality."
UK: The Mineral Products Association (MPA) says it is disappointed that UK-based cement and lime producers have been excluded from the government’s compensation scheme for climate change costs. The association says that the government has, “missed an opportunity to support two essential industries during the current energy crisis, despite other industry sectors - which directly compete with cement and lime - receiving the compensation.”
Under the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) scheme, some energy intensive industries can apply for compensation from the indirect costs of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) and Carbon Price Support (CPS) if they meet certain criteria. In the government’s 2021 consultation on the compensation mechanism, energy intensive industries needed to meet at least one of three tests to qualify. However, the MPA says that BEIS later changed this so that they had to pass all three tests and modified the targets.
Diana Casey, Director for Energy and Climate Change at the MPA, said “It is extremely disappointing that having met the criteria set out in the consultation, BEIS has decided to move the goalposts and exclude cement and lime from the scheme. UK manufacturers of all products face higher electricity and gas costs than European competitors, and this decision misses an opportunity to support the competitiveness of the UK cement and lime sectors, both essential foundation industries, especially during the current energy crisis and rapidly rising costs. Reaching net zero and delivering our economic potential requires huge investment from global businesses and it becomes harder to make the case for the UK as a location for such investment if policy costs make operating in the UK uncompetitive.”
Government of Quebec allocates US$36m towards upgrade at Ciment Québec’s Saint Basile plant
04 May 2022Canada: The Government of Quebec says it will allocate up to US$36m towards a US$110m upgrade project at Ciment Québec’s integrated St Basile plant. The plant intends to build a new grinding unit including new reception, storage and raw material handling systems and two mills. The work is intended to reduce the CO2 emissions from the plant. France-based Fives FCB previously said that it had won a contract for the project. Commissioning of the new equipment is scheduled for the beginning of 2024.
India: Dalmia Cement (Bharat) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Denmark-based FLSmidth to collaborate in the research and development of sustainable solutions for cement manufacturing. The agreement has been arranged under the ‘Green Strategic Partnership’ initiatives between Denmark and India that cover energy and climate change.
Under the MOU both companies will cooperate on a range of areas such as substituting conventional energy supplies with renewable sources and working towards CO2 emissions abatement. Both companies have committed to contributing research and development towards eventually building an industrial scale production plant where the new concepts can be further tested.
Mahendra Singhi, the managing director and chief executive officer of Dalmia Cement (Bharat) said, “In alignment with the ambitious net zero vision of our Prime Minister Narendra Modiji and given the strength and stature of our respective organisations, this association will provide futuristic solutions to the cement and concrete industry to emerge clean and green.” He added that India and Dalmia Cement in particular were keen to develop a roadmap for the implementation of Industry 4.0 with totally decarbonised cement plants and a ‘lighthouse’ cement plant.
India: The Global Cement & Concrete Association (GCCA) India has released a report entitled ‘Blended Cement – Green, Durable & Sustainable’ to promote the advantages of different types of blended cement over Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC). The report was released by Anil Agrawal, Additional Secretary Department for Promotion of Industry, and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce & Industry at an online event hosted by the Indian branch of the Global Cement & Concrete Association (GCCA).
“Blended Cement is the top priority and will play a key role in decarbonising the infrastructure segment. I am happy to see that the global cement and concrete industry has taken the lead, and they have come up with a roadmap. Now the Indian cement sector is developing an India specific detailed roadmap for the cement and concrete industry to achieve the net-zero CO2 concrete by 2050 in a time-bound manner,” said Agrawal.
The report is a collation of the information about blended cement and its advantages. It highlights the performance improvement possible through this replacement, making blended cement an attractive means to achieve sustainable infrastructure development. It also showcases the benefits of different blended types of cement over OPC based on hydration, microstructure and permeability, rheology and workability, strength development, shrinkage (chemical, autogenous, and drying) and cracks, leaching, alkali-aggregate reactivity, sulphate attack, reinforcement corrosion, long-term durability of construction and usage in preparation of high strength concrete.
India: Tamilnadu Cements plans to set up a new grinding plant in Alangulam, Tamil Nadu. The Hindu newspaper has reported that the unit will serve the nearby Arasu cement plant and double its cement capacity to 0.56Mt/yr from 0.28Mt/yr. It will cost US$5.22m and produce the company's Valimai cement.
Tamilnadu Cements has sold 59,000t of Valimai cement to date.
South Korea: Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki has announced plans for a further increase to his country’s coal imports from Australia in order to enable cement production to continue and prevent a shortage. The Yonhap News Agency News has reported that the government plans to accelerate customs clearance processes around the fossil fuel. Hong added that the government will ‘sternly deal with any illegal hoarding or price fixing’ of cement.
Cameroon government bans cement exports from East Region
26 April 2022Cameroon: The government has enacted a ban on the export of cement, along with other commodities including oil and grain, from East Region. The Journal du Cameroun newspaper has reported that the impacts of the Russian invasion of Ukraine have exacerbated a difficult supply situation of the basic commodities in the region, dating to the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak in the country in March 2020.
The East Region borders the Central African Republic and Congo. It has no cement plants of its own.
Holcim US joins Carbon Capture Coalition
25 April 2022US: Holcim US has become the first cement producer member of the Great Plains Institute’s Carbon Capture Coalition. The coalition’s 78 participating members and 23 observer organisations collaborate to build federal policy support for economy-wide, commercial-scale deployment of carbon capture and related technologies. Holcim US is currently assessing the viability of commercial-scale carbon capture, with two studies underway, at its Portland cement plant in Colorado and its Ste. Genevieve cement plant in Missouri.
Region head North America Toufic Tabbara said “Being at the forefront of developing low carbon solutions requires continuous innovative thinking and partnerships. Our efforts are most effective when we can align and join forces with other companies and organisations across industries who share this same commitment. We are proud to be part of an organisation that is similarly focused toward more efficient, innovative and sustainable practices.”
World Cement Association calls for Middle East and North African cement sector decarbonisation
22 April 2022Middle East/North Africa: The World Cement Association (WCA) has called on its members in the Middle East and North African cement sectors to take new actions towards industry decarbonisation. UAE-based consultant and WCA member A3 & Co has said that companies in the region have the potential to cut their carbon footprints by up to 30% with no new capital expenditure required. The Middle East and North Africa accounted for 15% of global cement production in 2021. In the region, only the UAE and Saudi Arabia have committed to national net zero carbon targets, for 2050 and 2060 respectively.
WCA CEO Ian Riley said “There has been a lot of discussion in Europe and North America about decarbonisation roadmaps for the cement industry and good work has been done to start on this journey. However, 90% of the world’s cement is produced and used in developing countries; to impact overall industry emissions we must include these stakeholders. Cement companies in the Middle East have some low hanging fruit to take advantage of, which will lower costs at the same time as reducing CO2 emissions. At WCA we have a number of programmes that can help them realise this opportunity."