Displaying items by tag: Europe

UK: Drax Power has entered a 20-year joint venture agreement with Power Minerals to build a new facility to process pulverised fuel ash into supplementary cementitious material (SCM) for cement.

The facility will be located adjacent to Drax Power site and will produce 400,000t/yr of SCM for use in lower-carbon cement. Power Minerals will construct, own and operate the plant. Drax will supply ash, power and water, as well as share profits from SCM sales. There is no capital investment required by Drax.

Operations will begin by the end of 2026. Drax expects the project to generate incremental adjusted earnings by interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of €6m annually between 2027 and 2046.

UK: Mark Grimshaw-Smith has been appointed as a non-executive director to its Board of Logistics UK. He currently works as the Rail and Sea Manager for Cemex UK. Other appointments to this board include Jamie Hartles, Rem Noormohamed and James Wroath.

Grimshaw-Smith has worked for over 40 years in the construction materials supply chain and logistics sector, covering all modes of transport. He has worked for Cemex for over 15 years, most recently as its Rail and Sea Manager. He helped to develop Cemex's global rail safety standards, representing Cemex’s Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. He is a graduate in economics from the University of Oxford and holds a master’s of business administration (MBA) from the University of Warwick.

Logistics UK is a trade association representing the logistics sector, including road, rail, sea, and air.

UK: The University of Sheffield, the Sellafield power station, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and the UK National Nuclear Laboratory have launched a €1.2m research partnership to explore the use of limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) in nuclear waste encapsulation. The project will study how characteristics and amounts of calcined clays can produce cement encapsulants that support safe and reliable nuclear waste conditioning and disposal at Sellafield.

Head of the Sheffield research team Brant Walkley said “This partnership will enhance our overall programme of work focused on development of new cement technologies for the nuclear sector, and will enable our cross-sector team based at both the University of Sheffield and Sellafield to further strengthen its position as a global leader in cement science and engineering.”

Australia/Europe: The European Commission (EC) has approved a deal that will see Heidelberg Materials and Holcim acquire joint control of Australian business BGC Cementitious via their joint venture Cement Australia. BGC Cementitious, the cementitious division of the Buckeridge Group of Companies, is active in the cement, concrete, quarrying, asphalt and transportation sectors. The EC concluded that the planned deal would not hurt competition given the limited impact on the European Economic Area. The transaction includes, among others, the Kwinana Cement plant in Western Australia. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

Spain: Cement consumption grew by 8.6% year-on-year across Spain in February 2025 to reach 1.27Mt, around 0.1Mt more than in February 2024, according to the latest data published by the national cement association Oficemen. In the cumulative figures for the first two months of 2025, consumption was 2.4Mt, 0.2Mt (9.4%) higher than the equivalent figures for 2024. Rolling year-on-year data - covering March 2024 to February 2025 - showed consumption of 15.1Mt, a 4.4% increase compared to the year earlier period.

Aniceto Zaragoza, CEO of Oficemen, said “Although it is still early to make assessments, it is significant to note that February 2025 was the highest cement consumption month since 2011. This confirms a certain continuity in the positive trend we experienced at the end of 2024 and which we expected to continue in 2025.”

Cement exports from Spain fell by 15.3% in February 2025 to 0.31Mt, 55,627t less than in February 2024. In rolling year figures, exports fell by 5.1% over the 12-month period, to reach 4.8Mt.

UK: Cemex has announced the construction of a mortar plant in Swindon, Wiltshire as part of its strategy to supply more alternative and sustainable materials to growing urban centres. The Mexico-based group said the plant will begin operations in the second half of 2025.

The new plant will produce Cemex's Vertua low-carbon mortars, with a CO2 footprint at least 30% lower than that of standard mortars. It will also feature a drying system designed to minimise heat consumption and significantly reduce fossil fuel consumption throughout the production process.

"As part of our growth strategy, we make strategic acquisitions and build new plants in advanced markets," said Fernando A Gonzalez, Cemex's CEO. "This strategically-located plant will enhance our production capacity in the country, advance our decarbonisation goals and allow us to offer a better experience to our customers in the region."

Finland: Tana Oy has appointed Jari Mennala as its CEO with effect from 5 May 2025. He succeeds Kalle Saarimaa who became the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of NG Group in February 2025.

Mennala was appointed as the Director of Worldwide Forestry Sales & Marketing and Managing Director of John Deere Forestry Oy in 2024. He has worked for John Deere since 2008 for its forestry division in Finland, the US and the UK. He holds a master’s degree in industrial management from Tampere University of Technology and an executive master’s of business administration from Aalto University in Helsinki.

Spain: Cement consumption rose by 9% year-in-year in February 2025 to 1.27Mt, around 100,000t more than in February 2024, according to the latest statistics from Oficemen. Consumption for the first two months of 2025 reached 2.40Mt, up by 9%. In the 12 months to February 2025, total consumption rose by 4% to 15.1Mt.

“Although it is still early to make assessments, it is significant to note that last month was the February with the highest cement consumption since 2011, which confirms a certain continuity in the positive trend we experienced at the end of 2024 and which we expected to continue in 2025. Furthermore, our data is in line with other relevant indicators in the construction sector, whose performance is also positive, such as public tenders, which grew by 33.5% in January, and permits for new housing, which ultimately closed 2024 with 127,721 approved units,” said Oficemen general director Aniceto Zaragoza.

Exports fell by 15% to 0.3Mt in February 2025, a loss of 55,600t. In the 12 months to February 2025, exports fell by 5% to 4.80Mt.

UK: Aggregate Industries has rebranded as Holcim UK. The company operates over 200 sites across the UK with 4000 employees. Following 20 years as a UK-based subsidiary of Holcim Group, the new direction sees the business align more closely with its Swiss-based parent company, which operates across 70 countries and employs over 60,000 people worldwide.

Holcim UK CEO Lee Sleight said “Our evolution from Aggregate Industries to Holcim UK is much more than a rebrand. It represents a commitment to leading the sector towards a more sustainable future through a commitment to innovation and collaboration.”

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Heidelberg Materials Cement BiH recorded a net profit of US$28.2m in 2024, up by 37% year-on-year. Total sales rose by 25% to US$99.9m. Domestic sales revenue increased by 30% to US$62.7m, while foreign market sales rose by 36% to US$4.5m, the company said in its annual report.