13 July 2017
Spain: The Spanish cement makers association Oficemen says that cement consumption grew by 11% year-on-year to 4.9Mt in the first five months of 2017. It attributed the rise to increased residential housing construction. The association forecasts that, if the growth continues, the consumption may reach 12.3Mt in 2017, the strongest figure since 2012.
However, exports have fallen by 7.6% to 3.76Mt. Oficemen said that this decline has reduced the benefit of improvements in the domestic market and kept production capacity levels of 50% at cement plants. It also raised recent increases in electricity costs as cutting the competiveness of the industry’s exports.
Kenya: Bamburi Cement is set to start a US$39m upgrade to its Athi River grinding plant in August 2017. Preliminary work on the 18-month project started in January 2017 and construction is about to commence, according to the Business Daily newspaper. The upgrade will increase cement production by 0.9Mt/yr at the unit when it is completed in mid-2018. Following the project the cement producer’s total national cement production capacity, including its integrated plant in Mombasa, will reach 3.2Mt/yr.
Liberia: The government is considering a 17-year tax reduction deal worth US$200m to encourage the Liberia Steel and Cement Mining (LICEMCO) to build a cement and steel plant. The so-called Investment Incentive Agreement is between the government, the TIDFORE Investment Company and LICEMCO, according to the Liberian Observer newspaper. A government Committee on Investment and Lands, Mines and Energy will investigate and report on the proposal by the end of July 2017.
US: Cemex USA says it invested over US$50m in 2016 on projects and improvements in cement plant operations and other facilities to help reduce environmental impact and conserve nearby wildlife. Four cement plants - Brooksville, Miami, Clinchfield and Victorville - achieved the Energy Star Certification from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for 2017. In 2016 all active Cemex cement plants in the US achieved the Wildlife Habitat Council's Conservation Certification, and several sites in California are currently working to attain that goal.
In May 2017 the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department awarded Cemex the 2017 Lone Star Land Steward Award for the Trans Pecos Ecoregion for its on-going commitment to sustainability and land stewardship at the El Carmen Nature Reserve. The company also received the Wildlife Habitat Council's Gold Tier Program of the Year for work at El Carmen in 2016. Other environmental initiatives by the company also include wildlife conservation efforts at various quarries in California.
Brazil: Bag producers Cocelpa Companhia de Celulose e Papel do Paraná (Cocelpa) and Arpeco Artefatos de Papéis have both filed for bankruptcy protection. They cited rising production costs, the country’s economic crisis and an unsuccessful sale plan, according to the Valor Economico newspaper. The companies operate plants at Curitiba and Araucária and they mainly produce bags for the cement industry. Despite being market rivals the two companies have filed for protection together due to structural links between them.