September 2024
ACC says that petcoke import ban will raise cement prices 24 January 2018
India: Neeraj Akhoury, the managing director and chief executive officer of ACC Cement, says that a ban on imported petcoke to the National Capital Region will increase the cost of cement. Akhoury told the Business Standard newspaper that the cement producer would be able to cope with the restriction through the use of alternative fuels. The Environment Ministry put the ban into effect on 19 January 2018 to control air pollution. This follows a relaxation of a temporary ban on petcoke in December 2017 by the Supreme Court to the cement industry.
Nepalese cement producers ordered to reduce prices 24 January 2018
Nepal: The Department of Supply Management and Protection of Consumers Interest (DSMPCI) has ordered cement producers to reduce their prices within three days. Following a survey the DSMPCI found that the price of cement had risen by 10 – 16% in recent weeks despite input costs, such as raw materials and transportation costs, only growing by 7 – 9%, according to the Republica newspaper. The department has issued its directive via the Nepal Cement Manufacturers' Association.
Construction of new cement grinding plant in Uzbekistan starts 24 January 2018
Uzbekistan: Construction work has started on Popcement’s new grinding plant in the Pap district of Namangan region. The US$50m plant will have a production capacity of 0.5Mt/yr, according to Uzbekistan Daily. The project is expected to be completed in September 2018. It is a joint venture between Uzbek, Chinese and Saudi Arabian investors.
Tunisia facing shortage of white cement following plant closure 24 January 2018
Tunisia: The National Chamber of Ceramics Manufacturers has expressed concern about the a shortage of white cement following the closure of the Société Tuniso-Andalouse de Ciment Blanc’s (SOTACIB) plant at Férien. The ceramics association has called for the government to speed up the import process, according to the L'economiste Maghrebin magazine. SOTACIB’s 0.65Mt/yr white cement plant closed on 19 January 2018 for a six-month period following a strike by workers in December 2017. Spain’s Cementos Molins is the majority shareholder in the company.
Cement carrier repels pirates near Somalia 24 January 2018
Somalia: Security contractors aboard the cement carrier NACC Valbella have repelled an attack by pirates off the coast of Somalia. According to the maritime security firm LSS-SAPU and the Maritime Executive, the ship was transiting 90nm south of Mukallah, Yemen when it was approached by a pirate mother ship. After lighting warnings flares the carrier exchanged gunfire with the pirates before they abandoned their attack and departed. The Valbella did not suffer material damage and no injuries were reported.
Loma Negra to study using two trailer trucks 24 January 2018
Argentina: Loma Negra is considering using two trailer trucks or b-trains. The study follows a government relaxation concerning their usage in January 2018, according to the El Cronista newspaper. The cement producer is looking at using the longer trucks for both input materials and cement shipments. Due to a strong market locally most of the company’s 5.5Mt/yr cement production capacity is sold domestically.
Halla Cement sold to Asia Cement for US$723m 23 January 2018
South Korea: Baring Private Equity Asia has sold Halla Cement to Asia Cement for US$723m. The combined business will be the third largest cement player in Korea, with a combined market share of 19%.
Baring Private Equity Asia bought Lafarge Halla Cement from LafargeHolcim in 2016. It took full control of the cement producer in 2017. It was then reported to be shortlisting potential buyers for the company in September 2017.
Halla Cement operates one cement plant at Okgye and three slag cement grinding plants. It has a cement production capacity of 7.6Mt/yr. It also runs 11 distribution centres in the country, consisting of seven coastal and four inland centres.
Nuvoco Vistas to spend US$157m on power plants and waste heat recovery for cement plants 23 January 2018
India: Nirma Group’s subsidiary Nuvoco Vistas plans to invest US$157m on captive power plants and waste heat recovery systems for three of its cement plants in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Rajasthan. The cement producer plans to save around US$15m from the upgrades over the next two to three years, according to the Hindu newspaper. Nirma Group purchased three cement plants and two grinding plants from Lafarge India with a total production capacity of 11Mt/yr in 2016.
Pakistan: Mian Saqib Nisar, the Chief Justice of Pakistan, has said that the Supreme Court will prevent the construction of any new cement plants or upgrades to existing plants near Katas Raj Temples in Punjab. However, he said that no existing plants in the area would be shut down, according to the Business Recorder newspaper. The investigation by the court had been taken in response to media reports that the pond at the Hindu heritage site was drying out due to water consumption by nearby cement plants. The local government has also been taking steps to stop new cement plants being built in parts of the province.
Aumund to supply equipment for upgrade at LafargeHolcim’s Martres-Tolosane cement plant 23 January 2018
France: Aumund has won an order to supply equipment for an upgrade at LafargeHolcim’s Martres-Tolosane cement plant. Aumund Fördertechnik is supplying a package including belt bucket elevators to feed the 96m tall heat exchanger and the raw meal silo at the plant. Two Aumund BWZ chain bucket elevators will be used to convey raw meal and filter dust, and for silo feed. An Aumund KZB pan conveyor with a vertical lift of 9m will be installed under the clinker cooler.
Seven Aumund Louise-type drag chain conveyors with short centre distances of 13 m and conveying capacities between 7 and 50t/hr will extract filter dust. Two Centrex machines (25 – 250t/hr) will be extracting a mixture of limestone and clay as well as iron ore from silos up to 7m high.
The Euro100m modernisation project at the Martres-Tolosane works is part of LafargeHolcim’s Euro300m investment project in France. Once upgraded, the plant will be equipped to burn alternative fuels, and energy consumption and CO2 emissions will be reduced. Work on the project will start in the final quarter of 2018 and be completed by mid-2020.