Displaying items by tag: Expansion

Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos announced a US$54.5m investment in the state of Mato Grosso, covering expansions and modernisation at its Cuiabá and Nobres plants. Construction will begin in 2025 and finish by late 2026, creating over 150 direct and indirect jobs in the state while retaining more than 700 existing positions.

At Nobres, a new cement mill will boost capacity by 60% from 0.75Mt/yr to 1.2Mt/yr, and the expansion will also add a new storage warehouse and logistics infrastructure. Votorantim Cimentos’ sustainable waste management arm, Verdera, will install a used tyre shredding facility at the Cuiabá site, supplying its kilns with co-processed fuel.

Global CEO Osvaldo Ayres Filho said the investments will “Increase our competitiveness and our production and storage capacity, and improve our efficiency to better serve our customers and the consumer market, while also reducing CO₂ emissions.”

The expansions are part of a comprehensive investment programme by the company, focused on modernisation, capacity growth, competitiveness and decarbonisation. Announced in early 2024, the plan includes US$909m in investments to be deployed by 2028.

Portugal: Cimpor has reported the successful installation of a new KHD Pyrorotor combustion chamber at its Alhandra plant. It described the upgrade as a key milestone in the modernisation of Kiln 7 and in the company’s energy transition process.

The combustion chamber measures 3.4m in diameter and 10m in length, and weighs 146t. It will allow the replacement of fossil fuels with alternative fuels, enabling a thermal substitution rate of up to 80%. Its installation required a technically demanding operation, carried out using a 400t crawler crane. The work is part of a wider structural upgrade of Kiln 7, which also includes the modernisation of the existing kiln to a production capacity of 3600t/day, a new preheater tower with a five-stage cyclone, the installation of a Pyroclon calciner, a new clinker cooler and a new vertical raw mill.

Cimpor says that the investment will contribute directly to the reduction of the plant’s CO₂ emissions, fully aligned with the company’s decarbonisation goals and reinforcing the company’s commitment to the targets set out in its Recovery and Resilience Plan.

Algeria: The Minister of Industry Sifi Ghrieb has announced a project to build two new low-carbon cement plants in Djelfa and Relizane in central Algeria with a capacity of 1.5Mt/yr and 2Mt/yr respectively, according to Zawya news. An existing cement plant in Djelfa will also see its capacity expanded by 1.5Mt/yr.

The new projects will boost Algeria’s cement capacity to 42Mt/yr. It currently has a cement demand of 30Mt/yr and exports a surplus of 12Mt/yr of cement. Ghrief reportedly discussed plans to expand the Djelfa plant in March 2025 with a delegation from the China State Construction Engineering Corporation. A separate 2Mt/yr low-carbon cement plant, a partnership between local, UAE-based and India-based companies, is also under construction in El Milia, utilising slag and fly ash from a nearby power station and steel complex.

Syria: Al-Badia Cement will invest over US$200m to expand its grinding and packaging lines and build a second production line, raising capacity to more than 5Mt/yr, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency. Chair of the board Imad Abdul Qader al-Muhaidib said the announcement coincided with the visit of a Saudi delegation of 130 investors, led by Saudi investment minister Khalid bin Abdulaziz al-Falih, to sign bilateral economic agreements.

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.

Jamaica: Caribbean Cement Company expects to increase output by 0.15Mt in 2026, according to the Jamaican Gleaner newspaper. Managing director Jorge Martinez said that only one month into the US$42m upgrade at the company’s Rockfort plant in Kingston, daily clinker production had already exceeded expectations. The upgrade targeted a rise in production capacity from 1Mt/yr to 1.3Mt/yr. The company also plans to export 28,000t of cement to Caribbean markets from August 2025, subject to demand. Martinez said the company sees no need to import cement currently.

Production fell in 2024 due to a two-month kiln shutdown for installation works, with domestic sales dropping to 0.95Mt from 1Mt.

Mexico: Holcim has placed Mexico at the centre of its NextGen Growth 2030 strategy to ‘drive profitable expansion’ in Europe, Australia, North Africa and Latin America following the spin-off of its North American business. Mexico now plays a strategic role in scaling sustainable construction solutions across the region and will allow Holcim to respond to key global trends such as urbanisation, housing shortages, resilient infrastructure and environmental sustainability.

Holcim Mexico CEO Christian Dedeu said “Mexico is now a strategic market where we will scale innovative solutions for circular and low-carbon construction. Our goal is to triple the recycling of demolition materials, double the Disensa store network and expand our sustainable offering through ECOPact and ECOPlanet.”

Dedeu added “In a region facing major social and environmental challenges, Mexico and Latin America have the potential to lead a new era of sustainable construction. At Holcim, we are committed to scaling solutions that address the climate emergency while building progress for people and the planet.”

India: Ambuja Cements subsidiary ACC has commissioned a 1.5Mt/yr brownfield grinding unit at its Sindri plant in Jharkhand. The project takes the total installed cement production capacity across Ambuja and ACC to 104.45Mt/yr.

Spain: Cementos Carral will expand its facilities at the Punta Langosteira Outer Port with four new silos, at a cost of more than €2m. The project will add 1242m² to its existing 3300m² plot, according to local press. To date, the company said it has managed operations of 120 vessels and moved over 700,000t of cement, and aims to increase its logistics capacity in response to growing demand. The expansion has entered the public information phase following publication in the Official State Gazette, with a 20-day window for comment.

Honduras: Cementos del Norte has inaugurated its new Mill No. 4 at the Río Bijao plant in Choloma, Cortés, according to a social media post by the producer. The new unit adds 140t/hr of cement production capacity, raising the plant’s total capacity to 7000t/day.