01 September 2022

Mexico: Cemex has successfully closed its sale of its Costa Rica and El Salvador subsidiaries to Cementos Progreso for US$329m. Cemex plans to use the proceeds from the divestments to fund its bolt-on investment growth strategy, reduce its debt and for other general corporate purposes.

US: Lehigh Hanson has secured US$3.7m-worth of funding from the US department of energy for its planned front-end engineering design (FEED) installation of a carbon capture system at its Mitchell cement plant in Indiana. The funding was part of a total US$31m pot awarded to 10 different carbon capture projects across multiple industries. All of the projects have the capacity to capture over 95% of emissions from their respective plants.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America is supplying its carbon capture system for use at the Mitchell cement plant, at a total project cost of US$4.8m.

Canada: Lehigh Cement has initiated the administrative process to begin the use of alternative fuels (AF) in cement production at its Picton cement plant in Ontario. Under the company’s plans, the plant will substitute 200t/day of AF for coal and petcoke at the plant. Possible AF sources include excess seed from farm feed production in Ontario. The Picton cement plant previously reduced its CO₂ emissions per tonne of cement by 20% through assorted sustainability initiatives.

Picton plant manager Carsten Schraeder said that the move will support Canada’s 2030 emission reduction plan, and also take pressure off landfill sites.

US: Argos USA has invested US$40m in 200 new ready-mix concrete mixer trucks, as the first phase of a five-year fleet expansion and replacement plan. The company says that the vehicles have a useful life of 8 – 10 years, or 53,500m³. It expects to make its next truck purchases in early 2023.

Argos USA ready-mix president Richard Edwards said "With the acquisition of these new assets, we continue our dedication to delivering extraordinary solutions to customers, helping facilitate the progress and development of the cities and communities where we have a presence. Our new trucks have a capacity of around 7.5m³ of concrete, are approximately 15% more fuel efficient than our previous trucks, and result in lower atmospheric emissions. They are also vehicles with the latest safety equipment, to continue ensuring the safety of our employees and everyone we share the road with daily."

UK: Cemex has bought 10 Volvo 460 8x4 tipper trucks for use at its Angerstein Wharf aggregates depot in Greenwich. From there, the trucks will deliver sand and aggregates all around London. The trucks’ bodies are made of lightweight aluminium, and they conform to Euro 6 emissions standards. This corresponds to 80% NO_x emissions reduction and 50% particulate emissions reduction compared to Euro 5 standards.

Cemex UK fleet engineering manager Nigel Ponton said “The addition of these new trucks to our fleet will enable us to better meet customer demand, safely and efficiently. Safety is the number one focus whenever we add new trucks to our operation and these Volvos tick every box in that respect.” Ponton continued “These trucks will all be working in busy streets across London so it’s imperative we provide our drivers with the best tools possible to do the job and help protect any vulnerable road users. Moreover, thanks to the improved fuel efficiencies and enhanced payload these new Volvos are the most sustainable vehicles we’ve ever had and will help decarbonise our delivery footprint.”