September 2024
Brazil: The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has signed an agreement with the National Union of Cement Industry (SNIC) and the Brazilian Portland Cement Association (ABCP) to support the preparation of the Cement Technology Roadmap in Brazil. The project is being developed in partnership with the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI). It will be technically coordinated by Professor José Goldemberg, a former Minister of Education and former Secretary of Science and Technology.
In addition to co-financing the initiative, IFC will also use its experience to help produce two of the project's technical studies: energy efficiency and the use of alternative fuels. IFC’s present portfolio includes 30 investments and 10 advisory projects in the cement sector in 26 countries. IFC has already invested more than US$4bn in the sector globally and US$838m in Latin America.
The Brazilian edition of the Cement Technology Roadmap will map current and future technologies and their potential for energy efficiency improvement and greenhouse gas emissions reduction per tonne of cement produced up to 2050. Its main objective is to contribute to the development of the cement industry in Brazil towards a low CO2 economy, using technical solutions allied to a range of recommendations from the academic, government and financial sectors.
Four major themes are being analysed by the Cement Technology Roadmap - Brazil, which includes the direct participation of major academic and research institutions from various regions of Brazil. They are: Energy efficiency; the use of alternative fuels for co-processing; the use of additions to replace clinker; and the capture, storage and use of CO2.
Worldwide, two other studies on the cement industry have been previously carried out using the same methodology and with the same partners (IEA and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development) - the global Cement Technology Roadmap, in 2009, and the Low Carbon Technology Roadmap for the Indian Cement Industry, in 2013. The latter was also supported by IFC.
The Brazilian project was launched in September 2014 and is expected to be completed in the first half of 2017. The preparation of the Cement Technology Roadmap - Brazil is being supported by more than 90% of the country’s cement producers.
CNBM may buy shares in Russia’s Eurocement Group 27 June 2016
Russia: China National Building Materials Group Corporation (CNBM) plans to become a shareholder of Eurocement Group. The companies signed an agreement on cooperation in production of construction materials in China on 25 June 2016 in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping.
The companies have agreed to upgrade Eurocement’s cement plants and construct new production lines for dry process production of cement. The agreement also envisages establishing clusters for production of construction materials in seven Russian federal districts at the basis of the local company. Local media reports that CNBM will invest US$5bn in the project.
Belgium/US: HeidelbergCement has made a shortlist of potential bidders for assets in Belgium and the US that should be divested as part of its acquisition of Italcementi, according to Bloomberg. Bidders for Italcementi’s Belgian business include Turkey’s Çimsa Çimento and Italy’s Cementir Holding. The business are valued at around US$400m. Bidders for Italcementi’s US assets include Summit Materials and CRH. This business are valued at around US$600m according to sources quoted by Bloomberg. All shortlisted bidders will face a due diligence process.
UK: Flexicon has launched a new bulk bag-lifting frame with telescoping arms that accommodates bulk bags produced in a range of sizes. The lifting frame can be added to all BFC models of Flexicon's Bulk-Out discharger line or it can be used for up to 2t capacities to replace discharger lifting frames that use a hoist to position and suspend bulk bags.
The telescoping arms can be adjusted using clevis pins and safety clips to a range of settings to accommodate bulk bags from 81 - 119cm square at the upper sew seam. This adjustability also allows the lifting frame to work with rectangular bags. The frame is available in carbon steel with industrial coatings or stainless steel to industrial or sanitary standards.
FLSmidth wins plant order in Tamil Nadu 24 June 2016
India: FLSmidth has signed a contract with Larsen & Toubro Limited for engineering, procurement and supply of equipment for a complete cement production line with a capacity of 3000t/day. The plant will be located in Ariyalur, approximately 300km south of Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The end client of the project is Tamil Nadu Cement Corporation Limited (TANCEM), a wholly owned undertaking of the Government of Tamil Nadu, with whom Larsen & Toubro Limited has an EPC contract. The order will be delivered over the next 16 months.
The order includes a complete range of equipment from crushing to the packing plant: ATOX® 35.0 vertical mill for raw grinding, ATOX® 20.0 vertical mill for coal grinding, Pyro Processing System with low-NOx ILC calciner, FLSmidth Cross-BarTM CB10 x 40 cooler and a UMS 5.0 x 15.0 ball mill for cement grinding. FLSmidth’s supply also includes equipment from product companies of FLSmidth, such as planetary gear units for vertical mills from FLSmidth MAAG Gear, bag filters and an electrostatic precipitator from
FLSmidth Airtech, packing plant from FLSmidth Ventomatic, a control system and plant automation from FLSmidth Automation and weighing and metering systems from FLSmidth Pfister.
India: Dalmia Bharat Cement has launched two new cement products in Odisha. The two new products - Dhalai Special Dalmia DSP Cement and Dalmia Cement – will be made available across 650 dealers and network partners in the state. Dalmia Bharat Group CEO Mahendra Singhi said that the product launch is expected to increase sales to US$221m from US$177m in the state, according to the Press Trust of India.
Dalmia Bharat Cement, which manages OCL India in Odisha, markets cement under the brand name of Konark. It has cement plants at Rajgangpur and Kapilas in the state. The group has set a sales target of about 75,000t/month for the two newly launched brands in Odisha. Its existing sales volumes across all product lines in the state are around 250,000t/month.
Environmental Protection Agency calls for two cement plants in Pakistan to stop production 24 June 2016
Pakistan: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued directives to the Hazara and Kohat administrations to stop production at two cement plants in breach of EPA regulations on dust pollution. Muhammad Bashir Khan, the director general of the EPA, has issued directives to shut down the Dewan Hattar Cement plant in Hattar and the Kohat Cement plant, according to the News International newspaper. Khan said that the Dewan Hattar plant had requested an eight-month period to install dust control measures but had failed to do so. The Kohat plant’s dust control unit is currently out of order.
Iran: Shahryar Geravandi, the manager of Saman Cement at Kermanshah in western Iran, has warned that Iraq's high import tariffs on cement has put the Iranian cement industry in crisis. Geravandi said that Iranian cement plants now face overcapacity, according to the Tasnim News Agency. He added that finding new markets for the surplus cement would be hampered by high transport costs.
Shree Cement completes grinding plant at Aurangabad 24 June 2016
India: Shree Cement has completed the expansion of its cement grinding plant at Aurangabad in Bihar. The plant increased its production capacity to 3.6Mt/yr from 2Mt/yr.
Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos has inaugurated a new cement plant at Primavera in Pará state. The US$258m plant has a production capacity of 1.2Mt/yr. It will serve the North and Northeast regions of Brazil.
“This plant in Primavera is part of Votorantim Cimentos’ major investment plan. Despite the challenging situation in Brazil, we are moving forward with our long-term vision and our confidence in the development of the country,” said Walter Dissinger, CEO of Votorantim Cimentos. Construction of the plant also included a social investment programme in the local area that invested US$3m towards a local library, schools and a health centre.
The new operation is part of the company’s expansion plan, which will increase its global capacity to approximately 59Mt/yr by the end of 2018, in line with the company’s plan of geographic diversification. This expansion plan adds to investments of US$3.6bn made between 2007 and 2015, which resulted in a 94% increase in global production capacity.
The investment plan to 2018 also includes expansions at Charlevoix in the US, Sivas in Turkey and a new cement plant at Yacuses in Bolivia. The company is also expanding in the San Luis region of Argentina.