Displaying items by tag: GCW184
US: The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has granted approval for Lafarge North America to use scrap plastic and asphalt shingles at its cement kilns in Alpena, Michigan State.
Lafarge had requested to be allowed to burn additional fuels in the five cement kilns at its cement plant. Prior to receiving approval to use plastics and shingles as a fuel, the company had used coal, petroleum coke, clean wood and non-halogenated polyethylene and polypropylene as fuel. In its application, Lafarge said that it could use nearly 140,000t/yr of plastics, more than 82,000t/yr of wood and 54,673t/yr of shingles as a replacement fuel for the coal and coke.
Lafarge was issued a permit in 2012 to install technology to allow for a trial burn of shingles in the kilns. The permit required Lafarge to conduct stack testing for emissions of concern from the combustion of shingles. The emissions testing demonstrated that the emissions were less than what Lafarge had originally estimated, according to the DEQ.
Following analyses conducted by the DEQ, staff concluded that the proposed project would comply with all applicable federal air quality requirements and with all of the Michigan DEQ Air Quality Division regulations. The staff concluded that the project, as proposed, would not violate the federal policies.
Pending LafargeHolcim and Sika deals forge ahead despite SNB’s abandonment of Swiss Franc cap
16 January 2015Switzerland: On 15 January 2015, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) abandoned the Euro1.20 cap on the Swiss Franc, causing market turmoil. However, deals involving domestic companies Holcim and Sika are expected to survive the impact of the shock decision.
Bigger deals are insulated against the effects of the sudden surge in the value of the Swiss currency because the companies involved are able to to buy insurance to protect them against such moves. However, some bankers said that the volatility introduced by the SNB decision to scrap the cap after three years could dampen deal-making in the longer term.
Holcim also said that it remained committed to a planned merger with France's Lafarge despite the move by the SNB that knocked almost Euro2.95bn (3bn Swiss Francs) off Holcim's market value.
"Regarding a possible impact on the combination with Lafarge, what we can say is that we remain committed to the merger," said Holcim spokesman Eike-Christian Meuter. According to Reuters, a spokesman for Lafarge said that it also remains committed to the merger.
Holcim was one of the companies caught up in a 10% all-in Swiss blue chip stocks on fears over the impact on their exporting power. Holcim slumped 20% at one point.
Tajikistan plans for construction of six new cement plants
16 January 2015Tajikistan: Tajikistan's Ministry of Industry and New Technologies plans to open six new cement plants in the next two years. Currently the country has 10 cement plants. The additional capacity will reportedly turn Tajikistan from a cement importer to an exporter.
Construction began on a 1.2Mt/yr capacity Tajikistan-China joint venture cement plant, Tajchina, which is expected to start production in 2015. Additionally, plans have been made for other cement plants in the Dangara, Bobokon, Gafurov and Isfara Districts and in Istiklol City. The country's largest cement plant at present is Huaxin Gayur Cement Co, a joint venture between a subsidiary of Huaxin Cement Co and Gaur Limited Liability Company.
Steppe Cement reports 18% growth in cement production in 2014
16 January 2015Kazakhstan: Steppe Cement produced 1.61Mt of cement in 2014, up by 18% from 1.37Mt in 2013. Its revenue was US$114m in 2014, up by 7% from US$106m in 2013.
In 2014, cement consumption in Kazakhstan was estimated to have increased to 8.5Mt, 4% higher than in 2013. Steppe Cement's market share increased from 17% in 2013 to 19% in 2014, broadly in line with its expectations. Kazakhstan imported 1.1Mt, a 26% fall on 2013, while exports amounted to 500,000t, 150% higher than in 2013.
Devaluation of the Kazakh Tenge combined with reduced cement prices helped local cement producers to gain market share. Steppe Cement's margins fell due to lower cement prices, the devalued Tenge and inflation. However, some of the cost increases should be compensated by the reduced operating costs of the plant's Line 5 following upgrades to increase its capacity.
Semen Indonesia sales rise by 3% in 2014
15 January 2015Indonesia: PT Semen Indonesia Tbk has reported that cement sales grew by 3% to 26.4Mt in 2014. Domestic sales contributed 13.9Mt of the total sales, up by 7% from 2013.
Fight against proposed Titan cement plant continues
15 January 2015US: Titan America plans to build a cement plant in Castle Hayne, New Hanover County, North Carolina. However, NC Coastal Federation members, among others, are still fighting the proposal after six years. They say that the plant, which will burn more than 250,000t/yr of coal, will discharge pollutants into the Northeast Cape Fear River. Coastal Advocate Mike Giles said that they're still waiting on a decision for their challenge against Titan America's air quality permit. According to the Titan America website, the plant would bring about 160 full-time jobs to New Hanover County and have a US$120m/yr fiscal impact.