02 December 2024

Nigeria: Holcim plans to sell Lafarge Africa to China-based Huaxin Cement for an equity value of US$1bn. The Switzerland-based building materials producer owns an 83% share of the subsidiary. The transaction is expected to close in 2025 subject to regulatory approvals.

Lafarge Africa operates four integrated cement plants in Nigeria at Sagamu and Ewekoro in Ogun State, at Mfamosing in Cross River State and the Ashaka Cement plant in Gombe State. It has a combined production capacity of 10.5Mt/yr. The company also holds a ready-mixed concrete production capacity of 0.4Mm3/yr. Its local recycling subsidiary, Geocycle, reported an alternative fuels thermal substitution rate of 37% in 2022.

India: Ambuja Cements has started a strategic partnership with Finland-based Coolbrook to use its RotoDynamic Heater (RDH). The technology uses renewably powered electrical heat to replace or reduce the amount of fossil fuels used for reaching high temperatures in cement kiln pre-calciners. No indication of the price or which cement plants will be upgraded with the equipment has been disclosed. The deal is intended to help Ambuja Cements meet its targets of reaching an alternative fuels thermal substitution rate of 28% and a renewable energy rate of 60% by 2028.

Ajay Kapur, CEO - Cement Business, Adani Group, said, “We continuously seek out innovations which drive efficiency and decarbonisation across our cement manufacturing value chain. Leveraging our Adani Group’s green power generation capabilities, we will be able to reduce fossil fuel dependence, costs, and emissions, ultimately delivering the best value for our stakeholders.”

Vietnam: Thailand-based Siam Cement Group (SCG) says it is expanding the production of its SCG Low Carbon cement product in southern Vietnam. It plans to export up to 8000t/day of the product to the US, Canada, and Australia, as well as supplying local green-procurement projects, according to the Vietnam Business Forum. The company says its low-carbon cement reduces CO₂ emissions by up to 20%, compared to regular products, through the use of alternative fuels, renewable energy sources and installing waste heat recovery (WHR) units at its plants. SCG formally launched SCG Low Carbon Super Cement in the country in July 2024.

Zimbabwe: PPC Zimbabwe claims that the country could lose an estimated US$50m/yr in foreign currency if imports of cement continue to enter the market at the current rate. Albert Sigei, the managing director of PPC Zimbabwe, made the comments at a press conference, according to the Herald Zimbabwe newspaper. He said that up to 45,000t/month of cement is being imported at present. Sigei added that the local cement manufacturers have sufficient production capacity to meet local demand. The installed cement grinding capacity is around 3Mt/yr compared to an estimated demand of 1.8Mt/yr.

In October 2023 the government issued temporary permits for cement imports during a shortage. The import permits were then discontinued in March 2024 when local production increased. However, smuggled cement reportedly continues to enter the market.

Oman: Raysut Cement says that production overcapacity in neighbouring countries has led to excess supply in the local market. This in turn has placed “pressure” on cement prices. The company added that exports to the Maldives, Yemen and east Africa had also slowed due to regional political instability, negative currency exchange effects and higher competition. The cement producer’s revenue fell slightly year-on-year from US$128m in the first nine months of 2023 to US$127m in the same period in 2024. However, its net loss grew from US$8.71m to US$14.6m.