Displaying items by tag: Asia

Azerbaijan: Azerbaijan exported 449,800t of cement and clinker in the first half of 2025 according to the State Customs Committee. This marks a 33.8% rise compared to the same period of 2024. The growth reflects rising demand for Azerbaijani cement in neighbouring and regional markets, particularly as reconstruction and infrastructure projects accelerate in countries such as Georgia and Türkiye, as well as parts of Central Asia.

The committee said that cement products accounted for 0.22% of the country’s total exports and 1.65% of non-oil exports during the reporting period. It added that this increase supports Azerbaijan’s broader strategy to boost non-oil exports and diversify its economy.

India: Tamil Nadu will host one of five national carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) testbeds aimed at lowering CO₂ emissions in the cement sector in a step towards the country’s 2070 net-zero target, according to The New Indian Express newspaper. The testbed will be located at UltraTech Cement’s Reddipalayam plant in Ariyalur district, supported by the Indian Institute of Technology Madras and Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani. The project is part of a Department of Science and Technology (DST) programme, which will trial an oxygen-enriched kiln system capturing up to 2t/day of CO₂ for mineralisation into concrete products. Other CCU testbeds are being established in Rajasthan, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, with JK Cement and Dalmia Cement involved.

Union Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh said the DST was currently processing financial sanctions for the projects, and full-scale implementation is expected in 2025.

Papua New Guinea: Mayur Resources has rebranded as Pacific Lime and Cement to reflect its transition from a resource developer to an integrated supplier of lime, cement and building products. The country’s demand is projected to grow in 2026, according to local press reports. The decision also comes amid the government’s target of reducing cement imports.

Managing director Paul Mulder said “Our rebrand to Pacific Lime and Cement reflects our transformation into an integrated industrial materials company focused on nation-building in Papua New Guinea. The new name positions us clearly in the market as a supplier of cement, quicklime and processed building products.”

Taiwan: The Customs Administration has imposed five-year anti-dumping duties on Portland cement and clinker imported from Vietnam, according to the Taipei Times. Cement imported from Long Son and affiliate Long Son Industrials faces a 14% tariff, Thang Long Cement will be taxed at 19%, while Vissai Ninh Binh, Xuan Thanh Cement and Vicem Ha Tien Cement will be subject to a 15% rate. All other Vietnam-based producers and exporters will be taxed at 23%.

The Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Economic Affairs confirmed that companies had dumped cement and ‘caused substantial harm’ to local producers in a statement. The Ministry also found no sufficient evidence that the duties would have a markedly negative effect on Vietnam’s ‘overall economic situation.’

An investigation into dumping of cement from Vietnam began in August 2024 after the Taiwan Cement Industry Association applied for anti-dumping duties, citing suspected dumping and harm to domestic industries.

Malaysia: Cahya Mata Sarawak subsidiary Cahya Mata Cement has awarded a US$159m contract to Sinoma Industry Engineering Malaysia to build a new 6000t/day clinker line at its Mambong integrated plant in Kuching. The company said the project will raise annual clinker capacity from 0.9Mt to 1.9Mt, improving cost efficiency and eliminating future clinker imports. Construction will begin in August 2025, with clinker production starting by April 2027 and full commissioning by June 2027.

Group managing director Datuk Seri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib said “Mambong Clinker Line 2 is a key step in strengthening Sarawak’s cement supply chain, boosting capacity, reducing import reliance and ensuring future demand reliability.”

The new line will include a 6MW waste heat recovery system and an advanced dust filtration system, while incorporating ‘locally-sourced’ alternative raw materials and fuels to reduce emissions. The company said the project will create up to 500 jobs at peak construction.

India: UltraTech Cement recorded consolidated net sales of US$2.4bn in the first quarter of the 2026 financial year, up from US$2.09bn in the corresponding period of 2024. Profit before interest, depreciation and tax rose by 44% year-on-year to US$531m, while profit after tax grew by 49% year-on-year to US$257m.

Sales volumes rose by 10% to 36.8Mt following the acquisitions of The India Cements and the cement business of Kesoram Industries. The producer added 3.5Mt/yr of grey cement capacity and commissioned 12MW of waste heat recovery (WHR) during the quarter, raising total grey cement capacity to 192Mt/yr and WHR capacity to 363MW. Renewable energy now accounts for 39.5% of UltraTech’s energy mix.

Kyrgyzstan: Imports of Portland cement from China in June 2025 rose 378% year-on-year to 4000t, according to China’s General Administration of Customs. The rise follows a May 2025 delivery of 2000t, after 18 months of negligible or no imports.

India: JK Cement reported a strong performance for the first quarter of the 2026 financial year, with consolidated net profit up by 76% year-on-year to US$37.6m, from US$21.4m in the same quarter in 2025. Sales rose by 19% to US$388.4m, from US$325.3m. Operating profit also grew, with earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) up by 41% to US$79.7m, from US$56.3m.

The producer attributed the rise to volume growth in the grey cement segment and higher realisations in Central India and Bihar. It also recorded an 8% growth in white cement sales.

JK Cement said construction of its 4Mt/yr grey clinker unit at Panna is 76% complete. It is also developing 3Mt/yr of cement capacity across Panna, Hamirpur and Prayagraj—1Mt/yr at each site—with construction in advanced stages. A 3Mt/yr split grinding unit in Bihar is due for commissioning by December 2025. As of June 2025, the company spent US$165.6m on clinker and cement projects and US$32.9m on the Bihar unit.

It also completed the acquisition of a 60% stake in a cement and clinker unit in Jammu & Kashmir for US$17.4m in June 2025. The acquisition added 0.42Mt/yr of cement and 0.26Mt/yr of clinker capacity.

Japan: Cement producers used 21.9Mt of post-consumer materials and by-products in the 2024 financial year, down by 3% year-on-year, marking the third consecutive annual decline, according to the Japan Cement Association.

Coal ash and blast furnace slag, which together make up over 50% of the total, both declined, although post-consumer plastics increased for a fourth consecutive year.

Cement production, including clinker for export, also fell by 3% to 45.7Mt. The amount of byproducts used per tonne of cement dropped from 480kg in 2023 to 478kg, but remained above 400kg for the 21st year in a row.

Türkiye: Akros Çimento has submitted a new environmental impact assessment (EIA) application for a 2.5Mt/yr cement plant in Burcun Village, Yenişehir district, Bursa. The facility will reportedly produce CEM I, CEM II and CEM IV Type 2 SDC cements. A previous proposal to build a cement plant on the site was cancelled by court order in 2008.

The plant will be built on 466,000m² of forest land, with 71,000m² allocated for the plant. It will use coal and industrial waste as fuel and draw water from underground sources.

Its proximity to Gemlik Port, 30km away, will support exports, with remaining output serving nearby provinces including Bursa, Balıkesir, Yalova, İzmit and Istanbul.

However, Natural Life Conservation Society (DOĞADER) president Murat Demir is protesting the plant’s construction. He said to the Bursa Hakimiyet newspaper “They will most likely receive approval, because it's very easy to get an EIA in Turkey. If the approval decision is made, we will object.”

He added “Bursa has polluted water, polluted air and polluted soil. Laws and regulations are no longer based on protecting nature, but on exploiting it. We will be filing a lawsuit against this because it will create a polluting and destructive pressure on Bursa's natural structure, especially our forests, agricultural lands, and water resources.”