Displaying items by tag: GCW584
India: Germany-based Gebr. Pfeiffer and its subsidiary Gebr. Pfeiffer (India) say they have received a follow-up order from Ultratech Cement for additional mills for new clinker production lines at its Kotputli plant in Madhya Pradesh and its Maihar plant in Rajasthan.
At the Kotputli plant it is planning to supply a MVR 5000 R-4 type mill to grind raw material. This mill can grind approximately 740t/hr to a product fineness of 1.0 % R 212µm with a 4800kW drive. At the Maihar plant a MVR 6000 R-6 type mill will also be supplied to grind raw material. In addition, several MPS 3550 BK type mills will be provided to grind fuel. These mills can grind approximately 45t/hr of pet coke, 90t/hr of coal, or any blend of the two materials. These are equipped with a 1300kW gearbox.
The plant design and the entire customer support will be handled by Gebr. Pfeiffer (India). The core components, such as gearboxes, grinding bowls, the grinding roller suspension system and the grinding rollers, will be supplied from Europe by Gebr. Pfeiffer. The remaining components, such as the foundation parts, the housings, the classifiers and most of the plant components will be provided by Gebr. Pfeiffer (India).
Zementwerk Lübeck operating reduced hours due to energy prices
23 November 2022Germany: Zementwerk Lübeck is reportedly only operating its grinding plant at night and at the weekend due to high electricity prices. Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) reports that the cement producer has also been forced to suspend production at times. However, government support is expected to help the plant to continue operation into 2023. NDR also reports that 80% of industrial plants in Schleswig-Holstein are threatened by energy costs. Zementwerk Lübeck operates a 0.3Mt/yr cement grinding plant at Lübeck.
RHI Magnesita to acquire Indian refractory business of Dalmia Bharat Refractories Limited
23 November 2022India: RHI Magnesita has agreed to buy the India-based refractory business of Dalmia Bharat Refractories (DBR). The acquisition will take place via a share swap agreement in exchange for 27m shares in RHI Magnesita India. The Austria-based refractory manufacturer hopes to grow its presence in the Indian market and benefit from market synergies. DBR employs approximately 1200 people in India. It has a production capacity of over 300,000t/yr of refractory and operates five refractory plants and raw material sites. The acquisition will add production capacities in industrial regions in the south and west of India where RHI Magnesita currently has no assets. No completion date for the transaction has been disclosed.
Stefan Borgas, the chief executive officer of RHI Magnesita, said, “We see material financial and operational benefits from the addition of the Dalmia Bharat Refractories business to our existing network, which will enable us to increasingly serve our customers with a ‘local for local’ approach in India and offer a broader range of products, in particular in the Industrial segment, in which RHI Magnesita is currently under-represented. This transaction demonstrates our ability to continue to grow our business in India where the outlook for the refractory industry is strong, at a time when demand in other geographies is weakening.”
1.8Mt/yr Qubodiyon cement plant construction receives Tajik parliamentary clearance
22 November 2022Tajikistan: The Tajik parliament has ratified an agreement for the construction of a 1.8Mt/yr integrated cement plant at Qubodiyon in Khatlon Province. ASIPLU News has reported that the government signed an agreement with Orien Invest for the plant's construction on 7 September 2022. Orien Invest said that it hopes to attract US$160m-worth of foreign investment in the project. When commissioned, the Qubodiyon cement plant will be Tajikistan's largest and create 1300 new jobs locally.
During the first nine months of 2022, Tajikistan produced 3.2Mt of cement, down by 0.7% year-on-year from nine-month 2021 volumes. Full-year production was 4.2Mt in 2021, in line with the two previous years.
Hanson's Ribblesdale cement plant carbonates recycled concrete paste with CO2 emissions
22 November 2022UK: Hanson has announced a 'carbon capture breakthrough' in its use of recycled concrete paste (RCP) in the wet scrubber of its Ribblesdale cement plant in Lancashire. In under 30 minutes, 15t of RCP was able to capture 1.5t of CO2 from the plant's flue emissions. Carbonated RCP is suitable to replace limestone in cement production.
Hanson's sustainability director Marian Garfield said “The trial was carried out with our parent company Heidelberg Materials’ research and development team, and marks another important milestone in our carbon capture journey."
Cemex announces raft of carbon capture projects
22 November 2022Mexico: Cemex has announced a raft of new carbon capture projects in Europe and North America. When commissioned, they will bring its total installed CO2 capture capacity to over 3Mt/yr. The projects consist of three front-end engineering (FEED) studies to scale installations of Australia-based Leilac’s direct separation technology at Cemex cement plants in Germany, Poland and the US; a fourth FEED study for 95% capture installation at the Balcones, Texas, cement plant using RTI International's solvent capture technology and a development partnership for the cement industry's most comprehensive carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) studies at eight further cement plants in Europe, Mexico and the US.
Chief executive officer Fernando González said “CCUS brings together the essence of our strategic priorities: sustainability and innovation. Our Future in Action programme to achieve sustainable excellence and become a net-zero company is all about measurable, verified progress towards the most ambitious decarbonisation pathway in the industry. Although CCUS technologies are not ready to be scaled quite yet, it will take relentless work and innovation to ensure their viability in time to avoid the most damaging effects of climate change.”
CRH increases nine-month sales and earnings
22 November 2022Ireland: CRH's consolidated sales were US$24.4bn during the first nine months of 2022, up by 13% year-on-year from nine-month 2021 levels. Regional sales grew by 18% in the group's America's Materials business, with a 12% rise in cement sales there, despite a drop in volumes. Elsewhere, for the Europe Materials business, sales remained level year-on-year, and higher pricing offset costs growths in all key markets except Asia and Europe West. The producer's consolidated earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 14% to US$4.2bn.
For the full year 2022, CRH expects to record a profit before tax greater than that of US$3.1bn recorded in 2021.
Chief executive officer Albert Manifold said ‘‘Notwithstanding a challenging and volatile cost environment, I am pleased to report further growth in sales, EBITDA and margin during the first nine months of the year. This performance reflects the resilience of our business and the benefits of our integrated and sustainable solutions strategy. The strength of our balance sheet, combined with our relentless focus on disciplined capital allocation, provides further opportunities to create value for all our stakeholders." Manifold added "Looking ahead to the remainder of 2022, we expect to deliver full-year EBITDA of approximately US$5.5bn."
Pakistan Association of Builders and Developers alleges cement industry cartelisation
22 November 2022Pakistan: The Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD) has accused cement producers of cartelisation and called on the government to take 'stern action' following a rise in cement prices. The Business Recorder newspaper has reported that builders believe that the rise does not reflect trends in local raw materials and imported coal prices. Additionally, it comes in spite of a drop in cement demand.
Wonder Cement ignites Chittorgarh cement plant's fourth kiln
21 November 2022India: Wonder Cement has completed a successful kiln ignition in its Chittorgarh cement plant's new Line 4. The three pre-existing lines gave the plant a former capacity of 8Mt/yr. Wonder Cement additionally operates grinding plants in Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, with a total capacity of 5Mt/yr.
Vice chair Vimal Patni's technical assistant Lokesh Lohar congratulated the entire Chittorgarh cement plant team on its work on the latest expansion.
Cockburn Cement increases scope of Kwinana grinding plant project
21 November 2022Australia: Cockburn Cement has awarded US$1.65m-worth of increased work scope to construction company SIMPEC on an existing contract with the producer. Business News Australia has reported that SIMPEC is carrying out work on Cockburn Cement's Kwinana grinding plant upgrade. The cement company is in the process of consolidating its Western Australian cement production at an expanded 1.5Mt/yr facility at the site, at a cost of US$152m. A new US$35.1m clinker terminal at Kwinana Bulk Terminal will receive up to 40,000t/yr of clinker for use at the plant and in fellow cement producer BGC's local operations.