Displaying items by tag: Canada

Russia/Uzbekistan: The US Department of State has imposed sanctions upon USM Holding including its subsidiaries Akkermann Cement and USM Cement in Russia, and Akhangarancement in Uzbekistan. The action is intended to target company owner Alisher Burhanovich Usmanov and his various business interests. Other USM companies in the iron, steel, copper, gold, telecommunications and real estate sectors are also affected.

The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control noted that Usmanov was, “one of Russia’s wealthiest billionaires, with vast holdings across multiple sectors of the Russian Federation economy as well as internationally.” It added that he was linked to multiple senior Russian officials, including Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as Dmitry Medvedev, current Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia and former President and Prime Minister of Russia. Usmanov has also been sanctioned by Australia, Canada, the European Union (EU), Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland and the UK.

These latest US sanctions are in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Companies on the sanction list are forbidden to conduct business transactions with any US citizens.

Akkermann Cement operates two cement plants and a network of 12 terminals in Russia. It acquired a majority stake in Uzbekistan-based Akhangarancement in early 2022.

Canada: Heidelberg Materials and the Canadian government have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the installation of a carbon capture system at the company’s Edmonton cement plant in Alberta. The project is scheduled for completion in 2026, at a total cost of US$1.01bn. When operational, the system will capture 100% of the Edmonton cement plant’s CO₂ emissions - 1Mt/yr – for transportation and storage in nearby Wabamun. Canada Newswire has reported that construction of the system will create 2000 jobs.

The government said that it would be a ‘significant partner’ for the project. The size of funding will depend on other provisions under its Investment Tax Credit for Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage scheme, which is currently being finalised.

Canada: The Cement Association of Canada (CAC) said that it is 'confident that Canada will lead in building clean technologies for a sustainable future' following the publication of the government's Budget 2023 on 29 March 2023. The budget includes US$26bn-worth of green tax credits. US$19.2bn-worth of this is allotted to renewable energy. It also includes a final design for Canada's Investment Tax Credit for Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS). CAC president and CEO Adam Auer said that, when finalised, the budget will help to 'close the gap' between existing Canadian legislation and incentives offered under the US Inflation Reduction Act and EU Green Deal Industrial Plan.

Auer said “With close to 60% of our emissions resulting from the immutable chemistry of making cement, deep investment in innovative and expensive technologies, like CCUS, are both vital and unavoidable. With Budget 2023, the government clearly affirmed its understanding of the final role this technology plays in our industry’s efforts to reach net-zero." He continued “We were also pleased to see references to carbon contracts for difference (CCfD). Canada’s cement companies, like many industries in Canada, are part of large multinationals, and divisions must compete within their companies for projects. Investing in net-zero projects requires predictability. The certainty that CCfDs can provide is the difference between attracting investment, building projects and creating clean jobs - or conceding the opportunity to our competitors."

Canada: Progressive Planet has secured a contract to supply its PozGlass recycled glass-based supplementary cementitious material (SCM) to Lafarge Canada. The cement producer says that it will test the commercial viability of all PozGlass produced at Progressive Planet's Kamloops pilot plant in British Columbia, once the plant commences PozGlass production in 2024.

Canada: The city administration of Langford in British Columbia plans to enact regulations requiring all public and private projects to use reduced-CO₂ concrete. It plans to support the rules with parallel measures affecting the design of buildings.

Victoria News has reported that the city authorities previously mandated reduced-CO₂ cement for all projects in June 2022, but subsequently relaxed the regulations after only one company – Butler Concrete and Aggregates – completed the transition. Butler Concrete and Aggregates produces its reduced-CO₂ concrete using slag cement supplied by Lafarge Canada.

Canada/UAE: Supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) producer Carbon Upcycling Technologies has signed a strategic partnership agreement with technical consultancy A³&Co. The partners will now work towards the delivery of an SCM enhancement reactor that bolts on to existing cement plant equipment. Canada-based Carbon Upcycling Technologies expects to be able to offer the technology to global cement industry customers by March 2025.

Carbon Upcycling Technologies CEO Apoorv Sinha said "We look forward to collaborating with A³&Co. Their extensive experience working with over 125 facilities across the globe will prove invaluable as we continue to adapt our technology for seamless integration at cement plants, enabling onsite sequestration and utilisation of CO₂."

Canada: A court has fined Lafarge Canada US$145,000 for a dust spill from its Bath, Ontario, cement plant in October 2019 that 'covered' homes, gardens and cars. The court found that the emission 'caused or was likely to cause adverse effects.' The Belleville Intelligencer newspaper has reported that the Canadian Ministry of Environment previously concluded that no harm to health resulted from the incident.

Plant manager Ignacio Arroyo said "Myself and our plant team unreservedly apologise for the upset and concern that our dust release has caused all of you. We intend to make it right and make sure it never happens again."

Canada: Progressive Planet is preparing to build a 3200t/yr pilot plant for its PozGlass product at its headquarters in Kamloops, British Columbia. The company aims to commercialise its process, which produces pozzolan from recycled glass for use in cement or concrete production. The pilot unit will also sequester CO₂ released by a gas dryer at the site, from which it will produce sodium carbonate. The pilot plant is expected to go under construction in 2023 and be operational in 2024.

Steve Harpur, the chief executive officer of Progressive Planet, said “With PozGlass, a CleanTech breakthrough from our C-Quester Centre of Sustainable Innovation in Kamloops, we are producing one of many upcoming private-sector solutions that are needed to meet the 2050 Net Zero targets to fight climate change.”

Progressive Planet aims for PozGlass production to be situated at cement kilns, where PozGlass could be mixed with Portland cement at a 50:50 ratio.

Canada: The Mohawk Council of Kanesatake has written to the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change asking for more consultation over plans for Colacem to build a new cement plant at L'Orignal, Ontario. The council also urged the government to reconsider the plan altogether. The Review newspaper has reported that the government previously rejected a request from the Kanesatake community that it consult the Impact Assessment Authority of Canada over the planned project. The plant is to be situated on the Ottawa River, opposite the area of Quebec in which the Kanesatake community's lands lie.

Canada: Lafarge Canada has signed an agreement with power provider TransAlta to recover and process fly ash from the site of the latter's decommissioned Edmonton coal-fired power plant. The project will use Ash-TEK's Ponded Ash Beneficiation System (PABS) fly ash beneficiation technology. The processed ash will then be able to replace up to 25% of cement in low-CO₂ concrete production.

TransAlta previously secured with Lafarge Canada for the supply of renewable power to its Exshaw, Alberta, cement plant in February 2022.