Displaying items by tag: construction
PCA forecasts 1.7% growth in US cement demand in 2020
05 February 2020US: On 4 February 2020, PCA Senior Vice President and Chief Economist Ed Sullivan predicted that US cement demand would rise by 1.7% in 2020 and may rise by as much as 2.7% if residential construction exceeds expectations. Sullivan stated that demand would maintain moderate growth through at least to 2022. “As long as the economy continues to grow and create jobs, the economy will remain on solid ground and continue to support cyclical portions of the cement market,” he said.
CemFree achieves first with volumetric motorway application
30 January 2020UK: CemFree cement-free concrete has been applied volumetrically for the first time in a 52m3 repair to the Woodford West Viaduct on the M25 London ordbital motorway in Essex. The reason behind the choice of method was the unavailability of batching plants at night, which was the only time that a team of Jackson, DB Group and Axtell employees working on behalf of Connect Plus were permitted to perform the work on the UK’s busiest road. CemFree said that 9.4t of CO2 emissions were cut by comparison to the same project undertaken with ordinary Portland cement (OPC). Jackson director of highways Paul Watson said, “We hope this marks a turning point on the M25 and the wider Highways sector for using low carbon alternatives.”
Cemfree uses 95% ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) and a 5% alkali activator, removing the need for cement. This gave CO2 emissions of 114kg/t, which the company says is 77% lower than conventional (OPC).
Eurocement and PIK Group extend cooperation agreement
29 January 2020Russia: Eurocement has announced the continuation of its cooperation agreement with construction company PIK Group in 2020. The 30.7Mt/yr-capacity cement producer, Russia’s largest, sold 0.2Mt of cement to PIK Group in 2019, bringing the total volume exchanged in the course of their cooperation to 0.8Mt. Eurocement sales vice president Ilya Kosykh said, “We guarantee our customers stable cement performance and uninterrupted deliveries of building materials on time.”
Ghanaian government announces moratorium on new cement plants
28 January 2020Ghana: The Department of Trade and Industry has declared a moratorium on the construction of new cement plants in response to a cement surplus on the domestic market. Chamber of Cement Manufacturers executive secretary George Dawson-Ahmoah said that consumption stands at 6.5Mt/yr nationally. Ghana’s eight producers are utilising 50% of an total installed capacity of 12Mt/yr, according to All Africa News. “The government is investigating measures to prevent imports,” said Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry. This may involve cement quality certification by the Ghana Standard authority.
Research suggests 50% of cement and steel used in construction could be replaced by wood
28 January 2020Germany: Research from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) has suggested that wood, including fast-growing bamboo, could supplant 50% of cement and steel used in construction, cutting global CO2 emissions by up to 880Mt/yr and providing a carbon sink for close to 700Mt/yr of CO2 emissions. Assuming a no-change scenario in cement production practices, PIK fellow Galina Chakina says, ‘the shift to timber would make quite a difference for achieving the climate stabilisation targets of the Paris agreement.’
Colombia: Switzerland-based construction materials producer Sika has invested an undisclosed sum in relocating production from a concrete admixture and mortar plant in Colombia to a larger facility in Barranquilla. Sika Americas regional manager Christopher Ganz said, “Our latest investment in Barranquilla will help us capture the potential of the dynamic construction market in the Caribbean region. Our aim is to grow more quickly than the construction market in this region.” The market grew by 15% in 2019.
Sika also manufactures building products for the Colombian market at facilities in Bogotá, Medellín and Duitama.
Siam Cement Group announces joint venture with BIMobject
14 January 2020Thailand: Siam Cement Group’s concrete and aggregates division SCC Concrete Products and Aggregates (CPAC) has entered into a joint venture agreement with Swedish digitisation specialist BIMobject for the formation of BIMobject Thailand Co., Ltd. (BIMobject TH) on a 51:49 basis in favour of CPAC. This will provide building information modelling (BIM) - a service platform for use in conceptual design, material selection, and construction simulation of customers’ projects. Siam Cement Group president and CEO Roongrote Rangsiyopash said, “This is in line with SCC’s strategic plan to extend its breadth of innovative construction solutions.” The joint venture will have US$170,000 registered capital.
Uzbekistan: The value of 11-month cement imports in the period ending 30 November 2019 was US$0.147bn, up by 12% year-on-year from US$0.132bn between 1 January 2019 and 30 November 2018. The total value of construction projects in Uzbekistan in the eleven months ending 30 November 2019 was US$61.4bn, up by 120% from US$51.2bn in the corresponding period of 2018. The total value of imported building materials was US$1.22bn, representing a 12% year-on-year increase from US$1.09bn. Cement was among US$152m of commodities imported to Uzbekistan from Iran, according to the Israel Defense newspaper.
Cement industry projects 2019 capacity utilisation at 12.5%
11 December 2019Venezuela: Venezuelan Chamber of Construction (CVC) president Mauricio Brin has estimated a capacity utilisation of 12.5% - corresponding to a production of 1.5Mt of cement from an installed capacity of 12Mt/yr. Noticias Financieras has reported that, according to Brin, production, which was hampered by power shortages, was sufficient to meet the construction sector’s demand. “Public construction has stalled and private investment is restricted to limited office developments in state capitals,” said Brin. He estimated a contraction of 95% year-on-year in construction compared to 2018.
Pakistan court rejects petitions against FWO Haripur cement plant
04 December 2019Pakistan: The Peshawar High Court has rejected a petition by local residents to prevent the construction of a US$245m cement plant in Haripur by the military Frontier Works Organisation. The Balochistan Times has reported that the project will entail the relocation of people from an area of 0.66km2 and the felling of ‘thousands of trees.’ The Supreme Court gave a preliminary hearing to the case on 2 December 2019, giving the Attorney General, Advocate General Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Defence Ministry until 9 December 2019 to submit their replies.