Since the publication of the Global Cement Directory 2006 – 2007, Global Cement has continued to collect data on cement plants throughout the world, each year adding to and improving the data. To coincide with the release of the Global Cement Directory 2014, we take a more detailed look at some of the world's most significant cement-producing countries and regions.
Within largest and most prolific cement producing nations and regions, there are often large variations in the distributions of population, terrain, wealth and demand. This creates differences in cement capacity between the various regions of a country. Such factors can lead to differences between apparently similar neighbouring states, regions and countries.
Following on from the publication of a cement 'capacity map' for China in the July - August 2013 issue of Global Cement Magazine, we turn our attention to other major cement producers: Brazil, India, the USA and Europe. The original Chinese map is reproduced for the sake of comparison and completeness.
China
Above - Figure 1: Map of Chinese Provinces, Municipalities, Autonomous Regions and Special Administrative Zones. Colour-coded by cement production capacity according to Global Cement Directory 2013 (click to open PDF).
Despite being the largest producer of cement in the world, China has large variations in cement capacity within its borders. There is a significant concentration of capacity in its coastal south east. This region has a high population due to ease of transport along the coast, relatively flat terrain and a mild climate.
Anhui Province, located in the central east but not itself coastal, is the region with the largest cement capacity at 193.7Mt/yr. At just under the area of Greece, Anhui Province clearly has over-capacity. Part of this production is consumed by populations in neighbouring provinces to the north, south east and east. In addition to Anhui Province, Guangxi and Guangdong Provinces both have capacities in excess of 150Mt/yr. These are in another densely-populated region that also includes the cities of Hong Kong and Macau.
Conversely, much of China has little cement capacity. This is the result of mountainous terrain in the north and west that has historically led to relatively low population levels. While no part of China is without integrated cement capacity, 12 administrative areas have less than 25Mt/yr capacity. It is likely that some of these do not utilise their full capacity. The lowest capacity (aside from city Municipalities that are supplied from neighbouring areas) is that of the Tibet Autonomous Region. It has just 2.4Mt/yr of integrated capacity in an area the size of South Africa.
India
Above - Figure 2: Map of India. States colour-coded by integrated cement production capacity according to Global Cement Directory 2013 (click to open PDF).
India has the second-largest cement capacity in the world (298Mt/yr) and it also has the second-highest population after China. Unlike other countries and regions, India has historically built its cement capacity away from major population centres. This is likely to be due to well-established freight rail links between major cities combined with the desire to separate large industry from population centres and the location of limestone reserves.
This mis-match between population and cement capacity is demonstrated by Andhra Pradesh, the state with the largest cement capacity. It has a cement capacity of 78.3Mt/yr, 26% of national capacity, but contains few major cities. It has a population of 84 million, just 7% of India's total. Rajasthan (32.2Mt/yr) and Madhya Pradesh (26.8Mt/yr) provide other examples of this. The opposite is true in states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal, all of which have high population densities. The capital New Delhi is surrounded by Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, a state that has no integrated cement capacity at all.
The most northern and most easterly states have low cement production capacities. The nine Indian states with zero integrated capacity are all in these regions, which are generally mountainous and have lower populations.
USA
Above - Figure 3: Map of United States (excl. Alaska and Hawaii). Colour-coded by integrated cement production capacity according to Global Cement Directory 2013. Hawaii and Alaska have no integrated cement production capacity (click to open PDF).
In the United States, like in other developed nations, population density plays a major role in the location of cement capacity. The east is more densely populated than the west, especially the north west, and is where European settlers first arrived. Of particular note is the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania, which was the first major cement producing region in the US in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Today this legacy remains. Pennsylvania has the highest cement production capacity in the north east (7.5Mt/yr).
The Great Lakes and the Mississippi River system in the Mid-West region also benefitted cement production and transport in the east. These systems are still involved in ~25% of all cement transport in the country. Many Mid-West states have cement production capacities of 2-4Mt/yr. Missouri is the highest in the Mid-West with ~10.2Mt/yr of cement capacity.
The southern states of Texas (15.2Mt/yr) and California (12.4Mt/yr) currently lead the way in cement capacity in the US. Along with fellow southerners Florida (8.5Mt/yr) and Alabama (7.4Mt/yr), large populations (California, Florida) and rapidly-growing populations (Alabama, Texas) are behind this capacity. In the case of Texas, which has the largest cement capacity of all the states, the recent shale-gas boom has led to increasingly rapid urbanisation and development. Whereas California, Florida and Alabama are dealing with overcapacity, Texan cement plant operators continue to expand plants and announce new projects.
There are 15 states with no integrated cement plant in the United States. Six of these are in the north east and are supplied by neighbouring states. The remainder are sparsely-populated states, mainly in the centre and north of the country, plus Alaska and Hawaii.
Brazil
Figure 4: Map of Brazilian states. Colour-coded by integrated cement production capacity according to Global Cement Directory 2013 (click to open PDF).
Brazil's cement capacity lies mainly in coastal states, especially in the south and east. Indeed, the states of the south east coastal strip have ~86% of cement production on just 36% of the country's area. The predisposition to the south east is a legacy of European settlement by sea and the once-impenetrable and still sparsely-populated Amazon Rainforest in the north and west.
In 2013 the state with the highest cement capacity is Minas Gerais, which, while inland, is well-located to supply Brazil's two largest cities, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. It has a capacity of 19.5Mt/yr, 29% of the national total. Neighbouring Bahia and São Paulo both have capacities of over 6Mt/yr, both also supplying large stretches of the south east coast.
As in other large nations, Brazil also has areas of very low cement production. Three states, Acre, Amapá and Roraima (as well as the Distrito Federal) have no plants. Another 10 have capacities lower than 1Mt/yr. The largest of these is Amazonas, which has a capacity of 0.8Mt/yr to cover an area the size of Mongolia.
Europe
Figure 5: Colour-coded map of Europe showing integrated cement production capacity according to Global Cement Directory 2013 (click to open PDF).
Due to being located in a developed region, most of the cement industries in Europe are well-established and, as such, have seen static or falling capacity in recent years, even before the current economic crisis. Population, limestone reserves and country area are the predominant factors that influence how much cement is made in each country. Many countries are small and those in the EU are able to trade cement with ease. This means that the apparent capacity of a given country is unlikely to present a fair view of production, consumption or trade. For example, the Netherlands, a typical high-income western European country, has the highest population density in Europe but also the lowest cement production capacities in western Europe.
In general, ex-USSR and Soviet satellite nations in the Balkans and central southern Europe have lower cement capacities than countries in the west of Europe, although many of these have major overcapacity.
The region's two countries with the largest cement capacity are Turkey (82.5Mt/yr) and Russia (80.1Mt/yr). Both are seeing cement demand expand amid infrastructure and housing projects. In Europe this makes them anomalous. Turkey is growing particularly rapidly due to its relatively young population.
Outside of these two, the next largest cement capacities are held by Italy (52.7Mt/yr) and Spain (49.3Mt/yr). Spanish cement production has fallen to around a third of peak levels and is predicted to decrease again in 2013. Both Spain and Italy have extreme overcapacities at present as they wrestle with extremely low demand due to the financial crisis. Exports to north and west Africa offer some respite for these nations as well as for Greece, Portugal and, to a certain extent, France.
Aside from Montenegro, which has no integrated cement capacity, Scandinavia and the Baltic are the regions with the lowest cement capacity. Relatively low population densities, harsher winters and difficult terrain are key factors.
The Global Cement Directory 2014 is published at the end of 2013. See www.GlobalCement.com/ directory for more information and to order.