09 February 2022
Cementir’s revenue grows by 11% to Euro1.36bn in 2021 09 February 2022
Italy: Cementir’s revenue grew by 11% year-on-year to Euro1.36bn in 2021 from Euro1.22bn in 2020. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 17.9% to Euro311m from Euro264m. Sales volumes of cement and concrete increased by 4.1% to 11.2Mt and 14.8% to 5.01Mm3 respectively.
“2021 marked for Cementir the year of the historic record of revenues and EBITDA despite the uncertainties related to the pandemic crisis, the substantial increase in energy costs, materials and services and the devaluation of the Turkish lira,” said Francesco Caltagirone Jr, chair and chief executive officer of Cementir.
The group also reviewed and approved the three-year Group Industrial Plan update for the period 2022 - 2024 and the 2022 budget. It has a target of reduce CO2 emissions (scope 1) by 30% in 2030 compared to 1990 levels. It is also planning to invest Euro116m in the 2022 – 2025 to meet this goal and others. Some of this will go towards building a new production line at its integrated Gaurain cement plant in Belgium, where the work is intended to raise the unit’s alternative fuels substitution rate to 80% from 40%. The group noted that this project has been delayed to 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Changes at other cement plants include switching to natural gas and biogas as well as energy efficiency projects. It is also said it was planning to ‘significantly’ increase the production of its FUTURECEM calcined clay cement and related sustainable products.
HeidelbergCement India’s third-quarter 2022 financial year results show sales and profit decline 09 February 2022
India: In its results for the third quarter of the 2022 financial year, HeidelbergCement India has recorded a sales decline of 9.5% year-on-year to US$71.7m from US$79.2m. Its net profit for the quarter was US$4.07m, down by 52% from US$8.51m.
India: Anjani Portland Cement recorded sales of US$14.3m in the third quarter of its 2022 financial year, up by 5.6% year-on-year from US$13.9m in the third quarter of the 2021 financial year. Its net profit was US$566,000, down by 80% from US$2.82m.
Lehigh Cement’s Mason City cement plant completes Portland limestone cement transition 09 February 2022
US: Lehigh Cement’s Mason City cement plant in Iowa has transitioned to Portland limestone cement (PLC) production. The plant will produce the company’s EcoCem brand PLC. It previously launched the cement in Canada in February 2021.
Ash Grove re-opens upgraded Port Manatee terminal in Florida 09 February 2022
US: Ash Grove Cement has re-opened its Port Manatee terminal in Florida following the installation of a new Kovako type ship unloader supplied by FLSmidth. The machine was custom built for Ash Grove by the Denmark-based company to meet its specific needs. The cement producer says it is the largest mobile pneumatic ship unloader built, has twin 800hp blowers, 37m suction arm and can offload a dry bulk vessel at a high rate while maintaining maximum efficiency and minimising environmental impact by eliminating dust emissions.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the event was held on 7 February 2022 as a shipment of fly ash was processed at the site. This maiden shipment completes the Phase 1 transformation project at Port Manatee, which began in early 2021. The project is intended to improve the subsidiary of CRH’s capacity to import cement, slag and fly ash for customers in Florida and South Georgia. It is also planning to use the terminal’s existing silo capacity to complement the capabilities of Ash Grove’s cement plants in Sumterville and Branford.
TransAlta Corporation to supply Lafarge Canada’s Exshaw cement plant with wind power 09 February 2022
Canada: TransAlta Corporation has secured a contract to supply 100Gwh/yr of wind power to Lafarge Canada’s Exshaw, Alberta. The power will cover an estimated 25% of the plant’s electricity needs.
Lafarge Western Canada’s head of sustainability and environment Cailee Ellis said “This agreement, first of its kind for Lafarge in Alberta, is an important step to utilising higher amounts of renewable electricity at our facilities.”
Togo: Cimenterie de la Côte ouest-africaine’s (CimCo) new 2.5Mt/yr grinding plant in Lomé is preparing to produce its first cement in March 2022. Germany-based Intercem Engineering says that construction work has been completed on the project and that the cladding is in place. Currently, the cold commissioning is in progress. The plant will operate as a subsidiary of CimMetal Group.
Bamburi Cement orders two solar power plants 09 February 2022
Kenya: Bamburi Cement has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Momnai Energy to set up two solar plants. One 14.5MW unit will be situated next to its integrated Mombasa plant and the other 5MW unit by its Nairobi grinding plant. This will account for up to approximately 40% of the cement producer’s total power supply. Construction of the solar power plants is scheduled to begin end of 2022, after requisite regulatory approvals with expected completion within a year.
“We are elated to be making this step towards switching to more affordable and clean energy that will not only lead to a significant reduction in power costs but also bring us closer to our goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions,” said Miriam Ngolo, Bamburi Cement’s Strategy and Business Development Director.
Other recent sustainability work by the subsidiary of Switzerland-based Holcim has included substituting heavy fuels with alternative fuels like biomass, including rice husks, and other waste material such as waste tyres and waste oil in its operations.
Colombian cement production grows by 16% to 13.8Mt in 2021 09 February 2022
Colombia: Cement production grew by 16% year-on-year to 13.8Mt in 2021 from 11.8Mt in 2020. Data from DANE, the Colombian statistics authority reports that despatches rose by a similar rate to 13.0Mt from 11.2Mt.
Cemex Colombia sells 500,000m3 of Vertua reduced-CO2 concrete 09 February 2022
Colombia: Cemex Colombia has recorded accumulated sales of 500,000m3 of its Vertua reduced-CO2 concrete. It aims to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2050.
President Alejandro Ramírez said “Our Vertua concrete sales volume is excellent news for the country. It demonstrates that a sustainable vision of construction is being consolidated in Colombia, conscious of its decisive contribution to global climate action.”