September 2024
LafargeHolcim Algeria calls for improvements to export procedures 11 December 2018
Algeria: Hafid Aouchiche, the import and export head at LafargeHolcim Algeria, has called for improvements to how the country manages its exports of cement and clinker. At a logistics symposium he emphasised the importance of better storage and loading infrastructure at ports, according to the El Moudjahid newspaper. He also noted the higher rates at Algerian ports for exporting clinker compared to ports in other countries. The cement producer has exported nearly 0.35Mt of cement and clinker so far in 2018.
Cementos Cosmos fined Euro3000 for dust emissions from Córdoba plant 11 December 2018
Spain: The regional government of Andalucia has fined Cementos Cosmos’ Córdoba plant Euro3000 for dust emissions in September 2016. The local environmental board criticised the subsidiary of Brazil’s Votorantim for only reporting the incident after the board contacted the plant about a dust cloud, according to the ABC newspaper. However, the fine was small because the dust pollution had no effects on the environment or local residents.
State government re-invites tenders for Chamba cement plant project 10 December 2018
India: The state government of Himachal Pradesh has invited tenders for the Chamba cement plant project for a second time. To attract sufficient bids the government has also decided to build a US$2m road to the project site, according to the Times of India newspaper. Other rules and regulations surrounding the project have also been relaxed. All of the clinker used at the plant must be produced in the state and a quarter must be ground into cement in the region. The project has a proposed budget of US$140m. It has been in development since 2002.
Residents stage protest at Shalimar Cement Industry plant in Nepal 10 December 2018
Nepal: Local residents have staged a protest at Shalimar Cement Industry in Jitpur Simara in Bara district. They closed the main gate of the plant, claiming that their complaints of pollution from the site had been ignored by the authorities, according to the Himalayan Times newspaper. Local government officials said that production at the site would be stopped until the company’s management agreed to meet previously agreed environmental limits.
Bestway Cement outlines water conservation measures 10 December 2018
Pakistan: Bestway Cement has promoted its environmental credentials following the Supreme Court’s mandated investigation into water usage by cement companies near the Katas Raj Temples in 2018. The cement producer says that all of its cement plants are ISO 14001:2004 Environment Management Systems certified. Specifically on the issue of water conservation, it has installed air-cooled condenser systems at two of its plants at Chakwal and Kallar Kahar respectively and it has built rain-harvesting ponds. In total the company has spent around US$14m on water conservation measures. Altogether it says that it has achieved 80% and 88% reductions in consumption of ground water for industrial use, respectively, at the two plants.
Other environmental measures the company has made include installing waste heat recovery (WHR) units at all four of its cement plants. Its total WHR capacity is 45.5MW giving it 28% of its total power needs. The company is recognised by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) under its Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Program for its initiative to reduce carbon emissions/footprint. It has also implemented tree plantation at its plants and surrounding areas, it uses drip irrigation and sewerage waste management and its head office in Islamabad has been certified as a Green Office by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
Two DG Khan Cement employees killed in gun attack 10 December 2018
Pakistan: Two employees of DG Khan Cement have been killed in a gun attack. A third worker was seriously injured in the incident, according to the Dawn newspaper. Police report that unidentified motorcyclists in Dera Ghazi Khan opened fire on a company security van whilst it was transporting workers to a nearby plant. The victims died at the DG Khan Medical College.
Irish Cement fined for dust emissions in December 2017 10 December 2018
Ireland: Irish Cement has been fined Euro4000 for dust emissions in December 2017. The subsidiary of CRH pleaded guilty at Limerick District Court to breaking the terms of the industrial licence at its plant in Limerick in early December 2017, according to the Irish Times newspaper. The cement producer reportedly unsuccessfully attempted to clear a build-up of dust in the plant’s kiln. A ‘significant’ amount of dust polluted the local neighbourhood subsequently leading to 21 complaints to the Environment Protection Agency. The cement producer was fined previously in mid-2018 for dust emissions occurred in April and May 2017.
Italy: Bedeschi has signed a contract to supply a clinker storage system to Cementeria Costantinopoli in Barile. The order includes a type STK P bridge stacker and a type BEL C bridge reclaimer. The storage system consists of: a belt conveyor (15m x 1m); a belt conveyor (60m x 1m); a STK P 25/1000 bridge stacker; and a BEL C 160/21 bridge reclaimer. The system will have a stacking capacity of 100t/hr and a reclaiming capacity of 130t/hr.
Oman Cement moves ahead with Duqum plant 07 December 2018
Oman: The board of directors of Oman Cement has agreed to move ahead with the construction of an integrated cement plant at Duqum. The unit will have a clinker production capacity of 5000t/day and an expected investment of US$212m. The project is being financed by the company and its shareholders. Previously the project was linked to Raysut Cement as a joint venture run under the Al Wusta Cement brand.
US law firm files lawsuit against Loma Negra 07 December 2018
Argentina/US: US law firm Howard G Smith has filed a class action lawsuit against Argentina’s Loma Negra on behalf of investors that purchased securities in the company’s initial public offering (IPO) in late 2017. The legal complaint alleges that the cement producer misled investors by: misrepresenting Loma Negra's exposure to a corruption scandal affecting its owner, Brazil’s InterCement; misrepresenting demand for Loma Negra’s products; misrepresenting the general state of the Argentine economy; and including references to known potential risks that had already happened.
Loma Negra launched its IPO in November 2017. Since then cement sales in Argentina have fallen year-on-year in the second half of 2018 and the general economy has floundered. The local competition body, the National Commission for Protection of Competition, also started an investigation into alleged collusion and coordinated behaviour in the cement industry in May 2018