Displaying items by tag: Government

US: Illinois Cement is preparing to expand the limestone quarry at its La Salle plant. The company has submitted plans to the local government to build a new quarry to the west and northwest of its existing mine, according to the News tribune newspaper. It also wants to move a road to support the changes. The existing quarry will be closed. The cement producer has held public consultations on the project and the local authorities are considering the plan.

Bangladesh: Saudi Arabian company Engineering Dimensions has expressed interest in building a cement plant at Chhatak in Sunamgan. The company’s president Mohammed N Hijji has met Secretary-in-Charge of the Industries Ministry M Abdul Halim about the project, according to the Financial Express newspaper. Engineering Dimensions says that the country’s high population, local demand and skilled workforce have attracted it to the location.

Paraguay: Yguazú Cementos has renewed its call for a ban on clinker imports to be lifted. The cement producer made its latest bid to the Luis Alfredo Llamosas, the Vice Minister of Industry, during a visit to its plant, according to La Nacion newspaper. The company produces 0.37Mt/yr of clinker that it uses to make 0.55Mt/yr of cement. However, the plant can grind up 0.75Mt/yr of cement and it wants to import clinker to increase its productivity. Staff at Yguazú Cementos have previously criticised the import ban that allows only Industria Nacional del Cemento (INC) to bring in clinker from abroad.

Zimbabwe: South Africa’s PPC has revealed that it is unable to transfer US$64m in cash and cash equivalents out of the country due to local currency restrictions. The cement producer said in its half-year report that the funds were freely available to spend locally. However, the Zimbabwe Central Bank has introduced a foreign payments priority list and any foreign payments are dependent on the bank’s ranking criteria, including the bank having adequate funds placed with its foreign correspondent banks. Despite these problems the company’s local sales and earnings grew in the half-year period. Revenue increased by 31% year-on-year to US$77m due to ‘strong’ volume growth. Earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 42% to US$25m.

India: The employees union of state-owned Meghalaya Cherra Cement has given the government two weeks to pay back salary from 2015 to 2016 and overtime payments since 2013. Union president S Diengdoh criticised the state-owned plant for poor management and low production, according to the Sentinel newspaper. The union alleges that the plant has an utilisation rate of only 30% and poor levels of safety.

Honduras: Cementos Argos and Cementos del Norte have agreed to cut the price of cement for government-backed reisdential and infrastructure projects following a request by President Juan Orlando Hernández, according to the El Heraldo newspaper. The price will fall by around 15% when the agreements between the cement producers and the government is finalised.

Kenya: The East Africa Portland Cement Company (EAPCC) has received backing from the Ministry of Trade to sell unused land to pay off debts and commitments of nearly US$150m. The ministry said that a cabinet memorandum is ready to grant the company approval to sell off its assets, according to the Business Daily newspaper. The cement producer says it needs the funds to pay employee benefits, pay suppliers, pay off debts to companies including the Kenya Commercial Bank and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency and refurbish its plant. The cement producer says it wants to spend US$19.5m towards refurbishing its plant in a one-to-two month shutdown. At present the unit is operating at a 50% capacity utilisation rate.

Mozambique: The National Inspectorate of Economic Activities (INAE) says that all cement producers must include an expiry date on cement packaging. The decision follows a study looking at the production, labelling, sale and transport of cement, according to the Mozambique News Agency. The ruling applies to both locally produced and imported cement.

INAE has requested that any cement should be sold at least three weeks prior to its expiry date. It is intended to give consumers consistent information about the date of production, the type of cement, the quality and the price. The central government agency is also hosting talks with local government to help provide warehouse space to distributors and retailers selling cement. It aims to stop the sale of cement on the street.

Philippines: Cemex Philippines is facing legal action in relation to the quarry operations of its subsidiary in Naga following a landslide that killed nearly 80 people in September 2018. It said that it had received a summons order for the class suit along with its subsidiary APO Cement, according to the BusinessWorld newspaper. The defendants also include APO Land & Quarry, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau Regional Office VII, the City Government of Naga and the Province of Cebu. The lawsuit is attempting to seek damages of up to US$80m on environmental grounds on relation to the quarry.

Pakistan: The Peshawar High Court has temporarily ordered Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGP) not to charge Lucky Cement a higher price for gas. The cement producer took legal action against the supplier, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) and the Ministry of Energy following a price increase of 142% in October 2018, according to the Dawn newspaper. The court has asked OGRA to respond to questions about the price rise. Lawyers on behalf of the Lucky Cement argue that the increase in the cost of gas was taken without following the normal legal requirements.