Displaying items by tag: Coal

India: Three cement producers placed winning bids for coal mining leases at auctions on 27 February 2023. Press Trust of India News has reported that Dalmia Cement (Bharat) and Rama Cement Industries won bidding for coal mining leases in Madhya Pradesh, while Shree Cement won a lease for mines in Chhattisgarh.

Nepal: Hetauda Cement Udyog has resumed operations at its Hetauda cement plant after receiving a 1600t delivery of imported coal. República News has reported that importers sourced the coal from Bhutan, India, Indonesia and Pakistan. The Hetauda cement plant had been out of operation since 10 February 2023 due to a lack of coal. The producer said that the latest delivery will last it until 11 March 2023. The producer had ordered 8000t of coal.

India: The price of imported coal ended December 2022 at US$145/t. The figure represented a 15% month-on-month drop from November 2022 levels. HT Media News has reported that the price is the lowest since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Finance company IDBI Capital has forecast that earnings before interest, taxation and amortisation (EBITA) per tonne of cement by local cement producers will rise by US$2.66/t quarter on quarter during the fourth quarter of the 2023 financial year, which will end on 31 March 2023. This is partly due to an anticipated 10% year-on-year decline in coal and petcoke costs during the period, alongside a 10% rise in cement volumes projected over the same period.

Uzbekistan: The government has ordered a partial transition of industries, including cement, to coal fuel from natural gas. The Turan Information Agency has reported that the ordinance, entitled Accelerating the Introduction of Renewable Energy Sources and Energy-Saving Technologies, will create an additional coal demand of 1.63Mt/yr and reduce national gas consumption by 926Mm²/yr. From 1 April 2023, the government will halve tariffs on coal imports, while the construction of new gas pipes to industrial facilities will be banned from 1 May 2023.

Philippines: CRH subsidiary Republic Cement and its waste management subsidiary Ecoloop are seeking to establish partnerships with 'sustainability-minded' organisations. BusinessWorld News has reported that Republic Cement and Ecoloop process waste for 12 private companies and 30 local government units. Philippines law will require that large organisations recover 80% of their plastic packaging waste by 2030. For 2023, the minimum is 2023.

Ecoloop managing director Angela Edralin-Valencia said “Our goal is to make our cement a greener and more environmentally friendly product. Our ambition is to replace 50% of our fuel consumption with alternative fuel (AF)." She added "A lot of investments have to be put in place from our end to get to that number, but we are still reviewing our options.”

Pakistan: Power Cement has awarded a coal supply contract to Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) on a trial basis. The Dawn newspaper has reported that SECM's locally sourced coal may subsequently replace imported coal in cement production at Power Cement's Nooriabad cement plant in Sindh.

SECMC produces 3.8Mt/yr of coal from the Thar coalfield. It has an extraction capacity of 7.6Mt/yr, which it plans to increase by 61% to 12.2Mt/yr with a new expansion phase by June 2023. SECMC said that this will lower the price of its coal by 36% to US$27/t from US$42/t. Currently, only Afghanistan is exporting coal to Pakistan, at a price of US$166/t.

Thar coal has a relatively low heating value, including by comparison to Pakistani coal from the western provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

India: UltraTech Cement recorded sales of US$1.91bn during the third quarter of the 2023 Indian financial year, up by 20% year-on-year from third-quarter 2022 financial year levels. The Aditya Birla subsidiary's cement sales during the quarter grew by 13% year-on-year in volume. It recorded 24% growth in costs, to US$1.74bn, while its profit fell by 38% to US$131m.

UltraTech Cement noted growth in the cost of electricity, fuels and raw materials.

Thailand: ThyssenKrupp Polysius says that it has successfully supplied and installed a Prepol SC alternative fuels (AF) system at a 12Mt/yr cement plant in Thailand. The system will supply the plant's four lines with 4000t/day of AF.

ThyssenKrupp Polysius' Asia Pacific CEO Lukas Schoeneck said "Asia Pacific, with its tremendous municipal solid waste (MSW) problem, is ideal when it comes to replacing coal with AF. The Prepol SC technology significantly reduces the need to treat MSW before using the inherent calorific value. Additionally, it helps to further reduce the ambitious CO₂ limit targets in the region."

Kazakhstan: Steppe Cement's full-year sales were US$86.5m during 2022, up by 11% year-on-year from 2021 levels. This came about despite a 1.2% year-on-year drop in its cement volumes. The producer also overcame high inflation, which reached 20% year-on-year in Kazakhstan in December 2022.

Steppe Cement said "We continue our capital expenditure programme to increase our production capacity of clinker and cement by mid-2023, as well as to reduce power and coal consumption."

Australia: The Australian government’s Department of Climate Change is receiving public comments on Cement Australia subsidiary Cornwall Coal’s plans to open a new coal mine in Tasmania’s Fingal Valley, near St Mary’s. Local press has reported that the proposed site will operate across three open pits, with a total area of 26ha. The mine will replace the company’s nearby Cullenswood coal mine when it runs out of coal later in 2023, and will operate until 2026 or 2027. Cornwall Coal’s Tasmanian operations currently supply coal for Cement Australia’s Railton cement plant, as well as other local industrial sites.

Under Cornwall Coal’s proposals, the company will build travel culverts for local wildlife, and assist in relocating animals currently occupying the site. Tasmanian devils and two species of quoll – all endangered – live on the land in question.

Mick Tucker, head of Break O’Day Municipality Council, said that the municipality currently depends on Cornwall Coal’s operations for 60 – 80 jobs. He said that the company’s plans have strong support in the local community.