06 August 2018
India: The board of Birla Corporation has confirmed plans to build a new 3.9Mt/yr cement plant at Mukutban in Maharashtra. The unit will also include a 40MW captive power plant and a 10.6MW waste heat recovery system. The project has an investment of US$356m and it is intended to be completed by early 2022.
The cement producer says it has acquired land, mineral concessions and environmental clearance for the plant. It added that the proposed site has good railway and road links. The project is also eligible for an ‘attractive fiscal incentive’ from the state government of Maharashtra.
Birla Corporation operates a grinding plant at Butibori in Maharashtra through its Reliance Cement subsidiary.
Penna Cements to open terminal at Cochin Port 06 August 2018
India: Penna Cements is close to starting operations at its new terminal at Cochin Port in Kochi, Kerala. The 0.8Mt/yr unit at Ernakulam wharf includes a bagging plant and it has an investment of just under US$9m, according to the Hindu newspaper. Once it opens it will join Zuari Cement, Ambuja Cement and UltraTech Cement, which also operate from the port.
Tajikistan: The government has supported a new cement plant project to be built in the Surxondaryo Region. The unit will be financed by private investors, according to Uzbekistan Newsline. Several new cement plants are planned locally including a 2.4Mt/yr integrated project from Russia’s Eurocement Group with an investment of US$220m and two Chinese-backed projects. Xin Lei is planning to build a 1Mt/yr plant for US$108m in the Akhangaran region. Akhangaranshifer also wants to build a 1Mt/yr plant for US$100m.
FLSmidth wins two cement plant contracts in Central America 06 August 2018
Central America: Denmark’s FLSmidth has been awarded two contracts for cement plants worth over Euro250m. One deal is for a new plant and the other is for an expansion to an existing site. The expected start-up for each project is by mid-2021 and once operational, the cement plants will have a capacity of 2000t/day and 3500t/day respectively.
Both contracts include design and engineering, equipment supply, automation systems, training as well as advisory services for installation and commissioning. Each project is also dependent on FLSmidth receiving an agreed down payment before work can commence.
INC inaugurates second mill at Villeta cement plant 06 August 2018
Paraguay: Industria Nacional del Cemento’s (INC) has officially inaugurated a second cement mill at its Villeta plant. The state-owned cement producer spent US$12m on the upgrade, according to the Agencia de Información Paraguaya. The new mill was built by China’s Sinoma. It has a cement production capacity of 80t/hr or be able to produce around 800,000 bags/month of cement. INC also plans to start operating a pozzolan drying unit at Villeta in September 2018.
US Federal Trade Commission approves final order for CRH acquisition of Ash Grove Cement 06 August 2018
US: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has approved a final order settling changes for Ireland’s CRH acquisition of Ash Grove Cement following a period for public comment. The FTC issued its consent for the transaction in June 2018 on the condition that CRH sell the Three Forks cement plant in Montana to Mexico’s Grupo Cementos de Chihuahua (GCC).
Also under the settlement, because the CRH cement plant in Montana currently sells a significant amount of cement into Canada through two CRH terminals in Alberta, GCC will have the option to use those terminals for three years. CRH also has agreed to purchase, at GCC’s option, cement produced at the plant for distribution in Canada for up to three years. The FTC also forced CRH to sell other assets in Montana, Nebraska and Kansas.
Canada: The government has made a proposed new carbon tax easier for large-scale industrial emitters such as cement and steel producers. Originally the new legislation proposed imposing a levy on around 30% of a company’s CO2 emissions from the start of 2018, according to the Globe and Mail newspaper. However, the revision has reduced the tax on so-called vulnerable industries with the cement and steel sectors only having to pay 10%. The levy will start at US$15/t in January 2018, rising to around US$40/t in 2022.
The decision to soften the carbon tax follows lobbying by the affected industries. The tax applies to provinces that do not have existing carbon emission controls, such as cap-and-trade schemes, that meets the central government’s standards. The provincial government of Ontario, which contains six of the country’s 17 integrated cement plants, recently decided to leave its own carbon pricing system. It will be subject to the new rules. Saskatchewan will also be affected.
Cimbenin removes polychlorinated biphenyl transformers 06 August 2018
Benin: HeidelbergCement’s subsidiary Cimbenin has removed two polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) transformers from its grinding plant in Cotonou. The toxic components will be disposed of by a French company, according to the La Nation newspaper. The Société Nationale de Ciment (SONACI) installed the transformers in 1977. Subsequently Cimbenin bought the unit in 1991 and put the affected equipment into storage in 2012. The decision to remove the transformers was part of the company’s ISO 14001-2004 certification, which it obtained in 2012.