Displaying items by tag: Plant
Cemex USA receives US Department of Energy grant for carbon capture technology study
09 February 2021US: The US Department of Energy has awarded a grant to Cemex USA, UK-based carbon capture and storage (CCS) specialist Carbon Clean and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The grant covers the implementation of a CCS system at Cemex USA’s Victorville cement plant in California, in addition to the development of a commercially viable carbon utilisation solution. The producer says that the study is due to last 30 months.
President Jaime Muguiro said, “Cemex is committed to being part of the solution to reduce carbon emissions globally and to deliver net-zero CO2 concrete to all of our customers by 2050. We cannot achieve these aims without innovative technology and collaborative relationships with both public and private organizations who share a commitment to climate action. This grant gives us an excellent opportunity to further develop a new technology to help us all reach our goals.”
Lafarge France to convert Contes cement plant into a terminal
08 February 2021France: LafargeHolcim subsidiary Lafarge France plans to stop cement production at its integrated Contes cement plant in Alpes-Maritimes department and convert the site into a terminal instead. France Bleu radio has reported that the company has announced the loss of 65 jobs. The company promised to take measures to avoid forced redundancies, including offering positions at other Lafarge France sites and help with retraining. The union representing workers at the plant says that the total number of jobs at risk is 300. The producer said that its Bouc-Bel-Air (La Malle) integrated cement plant in Bouches-du-Rhône department near Marseille will provide jobs for truck drivers and subcontractors. It said, “This will require additional industrial maintenance and increase logistics needs. These jobs are not threatened, they should even develop."
Six workers will stay on at the Contes facility after the end of cement production.
ACC breaks ground on 2.7Mt/yr Ametha cement plant project
08 February 2021India: Ambuja Cements subsidiary ACC has held the groundbreaking ceremony for its upcoming 2.7Mt Ametha integrated cement plant near Kymore, Madhya Pradesh. The company says that the plant will be equipped with an additional 1Mt/yr grinding unit and a 15MW waste heat recovery (WHR) plant. It estimated that the new plant will generate over 5000 indirect jobs. The producer currently operates 3.6Mt/yr of clinker production and 2.7Mt/yr of grinding capacity in the state.
LafargeHolcim India chief executive officer and Ambuja Cements managing director and chief executive officer Neeraj Akhoury said, “Our Business Excellence Journey has been successful on account of the continuous support and guidance rendered to us by the State Government. It is a great privilege and honour for us to be one of the pioneers in the industrialisation journey of Madhya Pradesh. The new project will further strengthen our partnership and propel the growth of the State.”
Italy: Cementir Holding recorded revenues from sales and services of Euro1.22bn in 2020, up by 1% year-on-year from Euro1.21bn in 2019. Cement and clinker volumes rose by 13% to 10.7Mt from 9.49Mt. Volumes registered the sharpest increase in Turkey, of 39%. Ready-mixed concrete (RMX) volumes grew by 7.8% to 4.4Mm3 from 4.1Mm3. The company maintained its 2019 earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) levels of Euro264m. It said that an improvement in performance in Turkey, Denmark, Egypt, China and Sweden balanced out negative effects on earnings in Belgium, US and Malaysia.
Chair and chief executive officer Francesco Caltagirone said, “In 2020, despite the serious pandemic, the group showed significant resilience with a 13% increase in cement volumes sold and revenue reaching the historical record. On a recurring basis, EBITDA increased by 2%, EBIT was up by 4% and yearly cash generation was Euro119m."
Under Plan 2021 – 2023 Industrial Plan, the company says that it envisages sales growth of 20% to Euro1.47bn and EBITDA growth of 29% to Euro340bn in 2023 compared to 2020 figures. It said that digitalisation investments begun in 2019 will contribute an expected Euro15m to EBITDA in 2023. As part of its sustainability commitments it has set a CO2 emissions reduction target of around 30% by 2030, with emissions below 500kg/t of grey cement. However, it said that under the future European Taxonomy criteria white cement emissions are not included.
The group is planning to invest around Euro107m from 2021 to 2023 on sustainability and digitalisation. This includes a the construction of a new calcination plant in Denmark for the production of its Futurecem product and, the installation of wind turbines with an installed capacity of 8.4MW. It is also planning to increase the alternative fuels substitution rate at its integrated Gaurain plant in Belgian to 80% from 40% and invest in the use of natural gas and biogas in some of its plants.
Schwenk Latvija plans Euro34m upgrade to Broceni cement plant
05 February 2021Latvia: Schwenk Building Materials Group subsidiary Schwenk Latvija plans to invest Euro34m in installing a new 170t/day grinding mill and 12,500t silo at its Broceni cement plant. The Baltic Business Daily newspaper has reported that the company aims to reduce energy consumption with the new mill.
The group acquired Schwenk Latvija from Cemex in February 2019 as part of a Euro340m expansion into the Baltic and Nordic markets. The company’s 2019 profit was Euro36.4m.
Cemex to participate in LEILAC 2 decarbonisation project
05 February 2021Germany: Mexico-based Cemex has announced its planned participation in Australia-based Calix and others’ LEILAC (Low Emissions Intensity Lime And Cement) 2 carbon capture and storage (CCS) project at HeidelbergCement’s Hanover cement plant in Lower Saxony. Cemex previously assisted the LEILAC partnership at its first installation at HeidelbergCement’s cement plant in Lixhe in Belgium. The company said that it will contribute to the technology's development utilising its gasification process expertise, leveraging its skills in alternative fuel (AF) consumption and computational fluid dynamic simulation design.
Global head of research and development Davide Zampini said, "Our participation in the LEILAC 2 project is another example of our continued efforts to deliver net-zero CO2 concrete products globally by 2050. We are determined to have a significant direct involvement in research and development efforts pursuing high impact technologies in carbon capture, use, and storage."
Ramco Cements reports nine-month profit growth amid sales fall in 2021 financial year
04 February 2021India: Ramco Cements’ nine-month profit for the period ending on 31 December 2020 was US$77.9m, up by 23% year-on-year from US$63.3m in the corresponding period of the 2020 financial year. Cement sales volumes dropped by 18% to 67.6Mt from 82.7Mt. Its revenue from sale of products fell by 9% to US$488m from US$535m.
The company reported that it has redeposited US$3.54m for its appeal against cartelisation charges that carrya penalty of US$35.4m. It said, “The company, backed by legal opinion, believes that it has a good case and hence no provision is made.”
The cement producer plans to commission a 1.5Mt/yr clinker line and a 9MW waste heat recovery (WHR) system at Jayanthipuram, Andhra Pradesh and a 2.25Mt/yr clinker line at Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh in the first quarter of its 2021 – 2022 financial year. A 1Mt/yr grinding unit, a 12MW WHR unit and a thermal power plan are expected to be commissioned later in the year.
Mexico/US: Cemex has invested US$15m in recommissioning a 1Mt/yr cement kiln at its CPN cement plant in Hermosilla, Sonora. The decision is intended to reduce cement shortages in the western US and bolster its supply chain in Arizona, California and Nevada. The project at the CPN plant is scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2021 and will create 130 jobs.
Cemex USA cement commercial executive vice president Joel Galassini said, “Many cement customers in California, Arizona and Nevada have been impacted by supply constraints this past year. The decision to recommission this kiln was made with our customers top-of-mind, to give them reliable access through a local supply chain to help meet their growing needs. Our unique network of production facilities in this region allows us to make these types of investments that will have a meaningful impact on meeting our customers’ needs.”
California regional president Francisco Rivera said, “We are excited to build greater synergies with our Mexican operations to strengthen our US cement supply chain and help our customers avoid or mitigate any potential delays to their projects in 2021.”
FLSmidth to supply white cement line conversion for Çimko Çimento’s Adiyaman cement plant
03 February 2021Turkey: Denmark-based FLSmidth has won a contract to provide a grey-to-white cement line conversion at Çimko Çimento’s cement plant in Adiyaman. The company will supply equipment suited to the production of white cement including its DuoFlex burner, rotary cooler and OK raw mill. It said that it will begin work in 2021 and the producer will commission the renovated line in early 2022.
The supplier said, “Once completed, the upgraded line will offer Çimko Çimento new opportunities to expand its product range and enter new markets. White cement is especially sought-after in countries with relatively hot climates, as it tends to keep buildings cooler with its reflective characteristics. In addition, as a high-quality, value-added product, white cement is often used in the construction of innovative buildings and important landmarks. FLSmidth brings significant experience and know-how to the project, having conducted several similar grey-to-white conversions in recent years, including projects with Turkey-based Adana Cement and Eskisehir Cement, as well as Alsafwa Cement Company and Riyadh Cement Company in Saudi Arabia.”
HeidelbergCement’s Hanover cement plant to host LEILAC 2 carbon capture and storage installation
03 February 2021Germany: HeidelbergCement, Australia-based Calix and a European consortium have chosen the Hanover cement plant in Lower Saxony for the second phase of the LEILAC (Low Emissions Intensity Lime And Cement) carbon capture and storage (CCS) project. The installation will capture 20% of the plant’s capacity or 100,000t/yr of CO2. The project will take place in three phases, with design completed by June 2021, a complete demonstration installation before the end of 2023 and project completion in 2025. The group previously installed a 25,000t/yr LEILAC CCS system at its Lixhe plant near Liege in Belgium, which completed its test phase in 2020.
Chair Dominik von Achten said, "The LEILAC technology has the potential to enable the cement and lime industries to efficiently capture their process emissions on an industrial scale. The pilot project in Hanover is one of several promising CO2 capture technologies that we are currently testing at full speed within the HeidelbergCement Group."