Displaying items by tag: GCW689

India: Adani Group has announced a US$750m investment in Rajasthan, with US$375m allocated over the next five years to green energy, cement production and infrastructure development. The group plans to add four cement units, increasing its total capacity by 6Mt/yr, according to BusinessWorld magazine.

Nepal: Construction activities in Nepal have been impacted as a result of private cement manufacturers raising prices, allegedly through cartelisation, according to Online Khabar news. According to Ravi Singh, president of the Federation of Contractors’ Associations of Nepal, contractors are struggling to purchase cement at the increased rates.

He said “On one hand, contractors have not been paid for completed projects, and on the other, rising cement prices have pushed many to consider halting construction altogether.”

He accused manufacturers of cutting production by up to 40% to create an artificial shortage, calling it “a tactic to manufacture scarcity and exploit the situation.”

Many contractors have already stopped purchasing cement at the new prices. Cement producers defended the price rise, claiming it corrects previous underpricing caused by ‘unhealthy competition’. The Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection has held discussions with producers, giving them seven days to justify the price hike and submit their price lists.

Poland: Imports of Ukrainian cement to Poland are expected to rise from over 500,000t in 2024 to 1.5Mt in 2025, according to Ukraine Business News. Before the war, Ukraine consumed 12Mt/yr of cement, now reduced to 4Mt/yr, with the surplus exported mainly to Poland. Ivano-Frankivskcement, Ukraine’s largest producer, is currently expanding its capacity to 4Mt/yr, which could threaten the Polish cement industry.

The Polish Cement Producers Association said “The uncontrolled cement flow from Ukraine is unfair competition, since its producers do not bear the EU’s climate policy costs. Therefore, we cannot compete with Ukrainian imports.” It demands limiting duty-free imports to the average level of the past three years during the 2025 EU-Ukraine trade agreement review.

India: The Rural Development Department of Himachal Pradesh has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Ambuja Cements to address the issue of non-recyclable plastic waste in the state. Under this partnership, Ambuja Cements will collaborate with the department to co-process non-recyclable plastic in its cement kilns. The initiative will cover the districts of Chamba, Kangra, Shimla and Solan, where 29 plastic waste management units have been established.

Sweden: NovaAlgoma Cement Carriers has placed an order for Climeon’s organic rankine cycle (ORC) waste heat recovery technology, HeatPower 300, to be installed on a new methanol dual-fuel cement carrier. The HeatPower 300 unit will generate up to 300kW of electricity on board the carrier by harnessing residual heat from the engine cooling water and exhaust gases to reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

Vietnam: Vietnam produced 167Mt of cement in the first 11 months of 2024, up by 3% year-on-year, according to the latest data from the General Statistics Office (GSO). In November 2024, the country’s cement output increased by 12% year-on-year to 17.2Mt, according to the GSO. In 2023, Vietnam produced 120.1Mt of cement, down by 5% year-on-year.

Mozambique: The closure of the largest cement plant in Sofala has led to an acute cement shortage in Beira, according to local news reports. Local retailers are now relying on two plants in Dondo, 30km from Beira, but these reportedly cannot meet demand, leading to a rise in prices by some sellers. The government’s Industry and Commerce sector has denied the existence of a ‘cement crisis’.

Germany: Claudius Peters has launched its Eta 5.0 clinker cooler. According to the company, Eta 5.0 offers energy savings, lower maintenance downtime and reduced environmental impact. It also features efficiency improvements, such as a new low-pressure-drop system and reduced friction in the transport system. The new cooler can be retrofitted to existing installations with minimal intervention.

US/Switzerland: Holcim has made progress on the capital market separation of its North American business, planning a 100% spin-off to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. An additional listing on the SIX Swiss Exchange is planned for European investors. The spin-off is subject to shareholder approval at the Holcim Annual General Meeting on 14 May 2025 and expects to occur by the end of the first half of 2025, subject to customary approvals.

Australia: Boral has launched upgraded ‘carbon-reducing’ technology at its Berrima Cement Works in the Southern Highlands region of New South Wales (NSW). The upgraded facility features a new chlorine bypass, which reduces the build-up of chlorides and other alternative fuel byproducts. This will reportedly enable alternative fuel usage to reach 60% over the next three years at the site, doubling its current substitution rate of 30%.