13 January 2021
India: Cement producers in southern India have joined together to form the South Indian Cement Manufacturers’ Association (SICMA). United News of India has reported that the association aims to serve as an intermediary between producers and federal and state governments. In this, it says that it will help to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘affordable housing for all’ and ‘infrastructure for future.’ The India Cements vice-chair and managing director Narayanaswami Srinivasan will head the new organisation, supported by Barathi Cement’s director Ravinder Reddy as vice-president and Penna Cement’s director Krishna Srivastava as secretary.
SICMA alleges that the construction industry has exaggerated the effects of rising cement prices on its costs. In so doing, the association says, it has deprived the public of the housing the government had planned. It added that, with around 30% of India’s limestone reserves situated in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana alone, the South has the potential to become a cement hub for development across India, as well as for export.
Indian cement demand expected to return to pre-pandemic levels 13 January 2021
India: Credit ratings agency ICRA expects cement demand to rise by 20% year-on-year in the 2022 Indian financial year, which starts in April 2021, allowing the local market to return to volumes previously seen before the coronavirus pandemic. In its latest report the credit ratings agency predicts that growth will be supported by rural demand, including affordable housing, and recovery in infrastructure segment, according to the Press Trust of India. Cement production capacity is forecast to increase by up to 22Mt compared to 17Mt in the previous year. Most of this additional capacity is expected to be in the eastern region. Capacity utilisation rates should recover to 64% from 56%.
Switzerland: Dürr is supplying a regenerative thermal oxidation system (RTO) to Jura Cement Fabriken integrated plant in Wildegg as the main stage in its air pollution control system. The upgrade is intended to enable the cement producer to comply with anticipated lower gas emission limits for carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and ammonia (NH3). The supplier says its solution combines Dürr’s Ecopure RTO multiple-chamber principle with an optimisation of the existing process technology in the calciner. It is scheduled to start operation in 2022.
Jura Cement operates two integrated plants in Switzerland. It is part of the Switzerland-based Jura Materials Group, which has been part of the Ireland-based CRH since 2000.
Vicat part of Genvia joint venture for hydrogen production 13 January 2021
France: Vicat has joined US-based Schlumberger New Energy, clean energy specialist CEA, Vinci Construction and the Occitan Regional Agency of Energy and Climate (AREC) in a hydrogen production technology joint venture called Genvia. The partnership will establish a ‘gigafactory’ at which to develop high-temperature reversible solid oxide electrolyser technology. The gigafactory will be situated in Béziers, Occitan. Deployment will take place via CEA’s Grenoble, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes site.
“We are very pleased to be working alongside such experienced and strong partners as we strive to develop technologies that enable decarbonisation,” said François Jacq, chairman of the CEA. “Together, building on a set of technologies developed by the CEA over the last decade, we have ambitious growth plans for a technology that we expect to be a game-changer in the production of clean hydrogen. This initiative demonstrates an alignment of environmental and economic growth ambitions that is important for France and Europe in support of the government's and the commission's recovery plan.”
The technology Genvia plans to use is intended to achieve a high system efficiency, resulting in less electricity use per kg of hydrogen produced. The venture says that the technology is the first of its kind that is fully reversible, giving it the flexibility to switch between electrolysis and fuel cell functions.
Cementos Molins to recycle 48,000t of material from demolition of old production lines at Sant Vicenç dels Horts cement plant 13 January 2021
Spain: Cementos Molins has dismantled kilns 3, 4 and 5 of the Sant Vicenç dels Horts cement plant in Catalonia. The company says that it will use 48,000t of waste material from the demolition process in cement production in kiln 6 at the plant. The material consists of 35,000t of concrete, 10,000t of scrap metal, 1450t of refractory material and 1500t of other waste.
The total investment cost of the dismantling work was Euro2m. The company said that the demolition of silos presented the most complex challenges of the 24-month process.
The plant mothballed lines 3, 4 and 5 upon the opening of line 6 in 2010.
Swiss cement deliveries fall slightly in 2020 13 January 2021
Switzerland: CemSuisse, the Swiss cement association, says that cement deliveries fell by 1.5% year-on-year to 4.15Mt in 2020. Deliveries remained stable in the first quarter before falling by 3.3% year-on-year in the second quarter at the same time of the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic. They subsequently recovered to a small increase in the third quarter before falling by 3.1% year-on-year in the fourth.
Argentine cement shipments fall by 11.1% to 9.87Mt in 2020 13 January 2021
Argentina: Data from the Asociación de Fabricantes de Cemento Portland (AFCP) shows that cement shipments fell by 11.1% year-on-year to 9.87Mt in 2020 from 11.1Mt in 2019. They fell significantly in the first half of the year but subsequently recovered. Overall shipments - including local sales, imports and exports – last rose in 2017. Despite this, exports rose by 31% to 0.13Mt in 2020 from 0.10Mt in 2019.
Caribbean Cement produces record volumes of cement in 2020 13 January 2021
Jamaica: Caribbean Cement says that it produced a record 0.94Mt of cement in 2020 due to market demand. This has been attributed to capital investment, positive government policies in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the company’s own reaction and the ‘expertise’ of its employees. It said it did not experience an overall loss of productive time due to closures related to the public health situation. Heavy rainfall, inconsistent power supplies and disruptions to mining in the third quarter of 2020 prevented the cement producer from surpassing 1Mt for the year.
“The market responded opposite to what might have been expected given the pandemic. Instead of slowing down, construction grew, and we kept in step with our customers by meeting their demand consistently. We will continue to ramp up production as the market grows,” said Yago Castro, General Manager of Caribbean Cement. He added, “The Government of Jamaica assessed the situation well and allowed critical sectors to continue operating once certain protocols were followed. Prioritising health, while keeping economic goals in mind, have mitigated against the negative impact on our sector.”
Siguaney Cement plant’s production exceeds 90,000t in 2020 13 January 2021
Cuba: Corporacion Cementos Cubanos’ Siguaney plant produced over 90,000t in 2020. Centrovision News has reported that the plant produced 87,000t of grey cement and 3000t of white. It had planned to produce 10,000t of white cement, but still exceeded its cement target overall. Cost per tonne of cement was also lower than planned.
The company said that grinding operations were disrupted when the Cienfuegos cement plant delivered less clinker than expected. As a result, the Siguaney plant’s kiln produced 18,000t of additional clinker. It achieved this through the use of refractory bricks from another kiln. Disruptions to imports also caused the company to hire Cuban Lubicrants Company (Cubalub) to provide lubricants for the plant’s compressors.
The producer said that it foresees no increase in cement production in 2021. It will launch two new pozzolanic cements, PP-35 and PZ-25.
General manager Gonzalo Reina said "PP-35 and PZ-25 have similar benefits to other cements, but their constitution saves clinker, a raw material that generates the greatest cost and constitutes the greatest difficulty in maintaining stable production.”
Department of Trade and Industry to establish new cement testing facility in the Philippines 13 January 2021
Philippines: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) plans to establish a new cement testing facility. The Philippine News Agency has reported that the department has made an allocation in its 2021 budget for the facility.
DTI Bureau of Product Standards (BPS) Catajay said “For setting up a testing facility for cement by BPS, our target is to finish within the first half of 2021. Our procurement of equipment is on-going, so that we can conduct testing in the third quarter of 2021.”
The Philippines presently has two cement testing facilities.