Displaying items by tag: Government
Egypt: Khaled Fahmy, the Minister of Environment, has recognised the work by subsidiaries of Suez Cement to reduce air pollution and so called ‘black cloud’ periods. The minister presented certificates of appreciation to the manager of Helwan cement plant, Ahmad Ragae, the manager of Tourah cement plant, Omar Khorshid, the manager of the Environment Department at Helwan cement plant, Ragheb Hammouda and the manager of Environment Department at the Tourah cement plant, Badry Ibrahim.
Chinese competition body approves CNBM and Sinoma merger
22 December 2017China: The Anti-monopoly Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce has approved the merger between China National Building Material (CNBM) and China National Materials (Sinoma). Shareholders approved the merger between the leading Chinese producer and the equipment manufacturer in early December 2017 following approval by the Fair Trade Commission in South Korea in November 2017.
Carthage Cement goes on sale
20 December 2017Tunisia: The government and Bina, the controlling shareholders of Carthage Cement, are selling a majority stake in the cement producer via public tender. The two investors own a 50.52% stake of the company. The cement producer operates a 2.2Mt/yr plant at Djebel Ressas. Expressions of interest are being accepted until 16 February 2018.
Indian cement producers hit by rise in import duty on petcoke
19 December 2017India: The government has raised the import duty on petcoke to 10% from 2.5%. This follows the abolition of a ban on petcoke and furnace oil to the cement and power industries in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh by the Supreme Court, according to Reuters. The increase in import duty is expected to create a rise in coal imports as companies change their energy mix. Shree Cement, JK Cement, J K Lakshmi Cement, UltraTech Cement and Mangalam Cement are all expected to be particularly affected by the tariff change. India is the world’s biggest consumer of petcoke, with much of it imported from refineries in the US.
Uzbek government sets production target of 9.2Mt of cement for 2018
18 December 2017Uzbekistan: The government of Uzbekistan has set a production target of 9.2Mt of cement in 2018. Uzstroymateriali will produce 7.8Mt, Almalyk Mining and Metallurgy Combine will produce 1Mt and other companies will produce 0.4Mt, according to Uzbekistan Daily. Imports of cement have been set at 0.37Mt. The country is expected to consume over 9.5Mt in the period. Exports of white cement will be 4000t. The government has also ruled that cement producers must sell cement only through exchange auctions in 2018.
Uzbekistan to sell cement through exchanges in 2018
13 December 2017Uzbekistan: The government has ruled that cement producers must sell cement only through exchange auctions from 1 January 2018. Cement not sold through first trades can then be re-exhibited within one month before it will be allowed to be sold for export under direct contract, according to the Trend News Agency. A ban on the resale of the products purchased on the exchange is cancelled.
Liberia: The government is reviewing an Investment Incentive Agreement between the Government of Liberia and Dangote Cement Liberia worth over US$41m. The review by the House of Representatives follows a letter from President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf urging the legislature to ratify the agreement, according to the Daily Observer newspaper. The agreement covers a 15 year period whereby the Nigerian company will build and operate a 1000t/day cement grinding plant at Monrovia. The deal also includes the option to double the production capacity if the unit.
Senegalese government to restrict new permits to cement producers based on market demand
11 December 2017Senegal: Aissatou Sophie Gladima, the Minister of Mines and Geology, says that the government will only issue new operating permits to cement producers if there is evidence that existing plants are unable to meet local demand. Gladima made the comments on a visit to the Dangote Cement plant at Pout in Thies, according to the Senegalese Press Agency. The minister added that the country’s Plan Senegal Emergent (PSE) requires lots of minerals.
Canada: The Cement Association of Canada has supported emission reduction schemes in Alberta and Ontario. The Albertan provincial government has released its overarching policy framework for the Output-based Allocation System and the Ontario government has run its fourth and final cap and trade auction before formally linking with California and Quebec in 2018.
The introduction of an Output-based Allocations (OBA) System in January 2018 will transition Alberta’s regulated facilities from the current Specified Gas Emitters Regulation (SGER). The OBA will set an industry specific performance benchmark for emissions-intensive, trade-exposed industries (EITEs), which includes the province’s two cement plants, Lafarge in Exshaw and Lehigh in Edmonton. The benchmark combined with output-based allocations is intended to drive best-in-class performance while maintaining the competitiveness of industries in Alberta.
Ontario raised US$330m bringing total proceeds from the system to date to around US$1.5bn. The proceeds are to be reinvested into initiatives that will further reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“From the cement industry’s perspective, the framework demonstrates that the Alberta government understands the pressures EITE industries face to remain competitive in the global market. Climate change is the single most important issue facing our society today and Alberta’s Climate Leadership Plan lays the foundation for industries to play a major role in assisting government in meeting its 2030 targets and transitioning to a low carbon economy,” said Michael McSweeney, President and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Cement Association of Canada.
With respect to Ontario he added that the Canadian cement industry believes that cap and trade systems are the most effective means of delivering environmental results while putting a price on carbon. “Linkage with California and Quebec is also an important feature of the Ontario system: the broader the market, the more likely it will be that price will reflect the true incremental cost of reducing emission,” said McSweeney.
Chinese concrete and mortar producers ask local governments to stabilise cement prices
07 December 2017China: The Wuhan Concrete (Mortar) Association has held an emergency meeting to discuss soaring cement prices due to central government mandated environmental measures such as a peak shifting. It has urged local governments to examine the situation, according to Reuters. The association, which represents the region’s concrete and mortar producers, said that some construction projects had been suspended due to price spikes and artificial shortages of raw materials including cement. Chinese environmental policy has forced cement producers through shutting so-called ‘obsolete’ production capacity and forcing selected plants to shut through the winter.