September 2024
Sudanese government to support cement exports 02 July 2018
Sudan: Musa Mohamed Karama, the Minister of Industry, says that government is keen to remove all obstacles facing the cement industry including a block on exports. The announcement follows a meeting with Mohamed Abdullah, the UAE-based chairman of Berber Cement Company, according to the Sudan News Agency. The country’s cement production capacity exceeds its domestic consumption.
Colombia: Édgar Ramírez Martínez, the former vice president of planning for Cemex, will be detained in prison as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged irregularities in the acquisition of land at Maceo in Antioquia for the construction of a cement plant. The prosecutor’s court has also issued a detention ticket for Camilo González Téllez, former vice president of planning for Cemex Colombia, who is currently in the US, according to Noticias Financieras. Eugenio Correa Díaz, the former representative of CI Calizas y Minerales, which sold the property to the cement producer, will also be detained.
The former employees of Cemex allegedly paid over US$13m to Correa, despite being aware of the fact that the property was in the process of being expropriated over unpaid taxes.
Colombia: Cemex Colombia, LG and the mayor of Ibague say that they have started technical economic and legal studies studies to support building a solar plant near Ibague in Tolima. The unit will supply energy to the Caracolito cement plant and lighting systems in the nearby city, according to Valora Analitik. The solar plant will be located on a 56-hecatre site owned by the Mayor’s Office on the Doima - Buenos Aires highway.
Indian Supreme Court bounces Binani Cement insolvency case to National Company Law Appellate Tribunal 02 July 2018
India: The Supreme Court has ordered the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) to adjudicate upon all issues relating to the Binani Cement insolvency case, including whether Ultratech Cement’s bid for the company is eligible. The case will be heard by the appeals tribunal from mid-July 2018, according to the Mint newspaper. The NCLAT is the body that processes appeals from the National Company Law Tribunal, a legal body that adjudicates disputes between companies.
UltraTech Cement made a direct bid of US$1.12bn for the bankrupt Binani Cement following an auction in March 2018 that was originally won by Dalmia Bharat. Dalmia Bharat has disputed UltraTech Cement’s offer and the two companies have conducted legal campaigns to reinforce their respective claims.
France/Syria: Lafarge SA, a subsidiary of LafargeHolcim, has been placed under judicial investigation over its actions in Syria between 2011 and 2014. It has been accused of complicity in crimes against humanity and financing terrorism, according to the Agence France Presse.
LafargeHolcim said that would appeal against the charges. It admitted that the system of supervision of its Syrian subsidiary did not allow the company to identify wrongdoing. However, it blamed this on “…an unprecedented violation of internal regulations and compliance rules by a small group of individuals who have left the group.”
“We truly regret what has happened in the Syria subsidiary and after learning about it took immediate and firm actions. None of the individuals put under investigation is today with the company,” said the chairman of the board of LafargeHolcim, Beat Hess.
Non-government organisation (NGO) Sherpa, one of the plaintiffs in the case, said it was the first time that a parent company anywhere in the world had been charged with complicity in crimes against humanity. A panel of three judges in Paris has ordered Lafarge to pay over Euro30m as a security deposit ahead of the trial. Eight former executives, including ex-chief executive officer (CEO) Bruno Lafont, have already been charged in connection to the investigation.
India: UltraTech Cement has commissioned a 1.75Mt/yr grinding unit at its Manawar plant in Dhar District, Madhya Pradesh. The main part of the 2.5Mt/yr integrated plant was commissioned in April 2018. A 13MW waste heat recovery unit is also being built at the site.
Wuhu suspends cement production for six days 29 June 2018
China: The city of Wuhu has suspended cement production for local producers for six days. Anhui Conch, South Cement and Leida Cement have all been affected, according to Hexun. Local production is expected to drop by 0.5Mt/yr.
Cemex Colombia to grow additives production in 2018 29 June 2018
Colombia: Cemex Colombia plans to grow its additives production to 9.7ML in 2018. The building materials producer says it is the only local manufacturer of producing aggregate, cement and additives, according to the La Republica newspaper. It produces additives to enhance the properties of cement and concrete. It also supplies additives to other companies with around 11% aimed at third parties in Latin America.
Switzerland: 2016 data published by the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) from its Getting the Numbers Right (GNR) report shows no change in CO2 emissions in recent years. Gross specific CO2 emissions from cementitious products rose slightly from 2014 and net specific emissions have remained the same. However, the data shows considerable improvement since a baseline in 1990 with both metrics falling by over 15%.
Other notable figures from the latest report include an 11% year-on-year drop in clinker volumes to 606Mt in 2016 from 680Mt in 2015 and a 12% fall in cementitious volumes to 818Mt from 916Mt. Kiln fuel use, specific electricity use and the percentage of clinker in cement all rose slightly. However, the percentage of alternative fuels used increased to 16.7% from 15.9%.
The GNR report presents information on energy efficiency and CO2 emissions from the worldwide cement industry. Participants use the CSI CO2 and Energy Accounting and Reporting Standard for the Cement Industry to provide information and 80% of the data provided is independently assured. The report uses information from 849 cement manufacturing plants around the world, both integrated and cement grinding units, representing 19% of global cement production.
Kenya: Samson, a subsidiary of Aumund Group, has delivered four hoppers with ATEX certification to the Port of Mombasa operated by the Kenya Port Authority. The new equipment will be used to import clinker, coal and gypsum to the site. Peak rates of 700t/hr per hopper are expected to considerably improve the import capabilities of the port.
The hoppers are decked with inlet grills with suction capacity, a reverse-jet cleaning system, air compressors, a flex-flap filtration system creating a pressure differential between the inner and outer hopper areas and dust filters on three sides of the hopper. The hoppers are mobile with powered travel and crabbing functionality which lets them be positioned alongside a vessel for unloading and which will allow them to be manoeuvred off the quay and freeing up space when not required. Samson says that these are the first ecological hoppers to be provided with ATEX certification.
This equipment was sourced to fulfil the aims of TradeMark East Africa - Kenya Port Authority Port Resilient Infrastructure Programme to improve port facilities whilst minimising the environmental impact of port operations.