Displaying items by tag: Limestone

Chile: cbb (formerly Cementos Bío Bío), has announced a binding agreement to sell all of its shares to Belgium-based producer Carmeuse, which will launch a tender offer for 100% of the shares of the company ‘no later than 13 August 2025’, according to Noticias Financieras. Shareholders representing 64.57% of the shares signed the Agreement to Tender, obliging them to transfer their holdings to Carmeuse subsidiary Carmel Holdings. The offer will value the company at US$505m, equivalent to US$1.91/share.

Carmeuse specialises in lime and limestone derivatives and operates 90 production sites worldwide. The acquisition aligns with its interest in cbb’s lime production through subsidiary Bío Bío Cales, which operates plants in Antofagasta and Copiapó.

The announcement of the sale comes after a race for control of the company at the end of 2024. In December 2024, Peru-based Yura acquired 0.81% of shares through a public offer, increasing its stake to 20.75%. Mississippi Lime Company also submitted a non-binding offer for the company for US$1.89/share in May 2024, but later withdrew.

Kenya: Ndovu Cement, owned by Karsan Ramji & Sons, will build a 600t/day greenfield clinker plant and a limestone quarry in Mukawa, Kajiado County, according to regulatory filings. The project has already secured approval from the National Environment Management Authority. The company said the limestone quarry will ensure a reliable supply of 900t/day of limestone.

The facility is expected to reduce reliance on imports following a 17.5% levy on clinker imports introduced in July 2023, according to the Business Daily Africa newspaper. The measure was aimed at boosting local production and creating jobs, but has since led to a drop in cement consumption due to price increases and a fall in imports. Kenya-based cement producers had reportedly opposed an attempt to increase import duty on clinker, instead requesting a grace period of four years, until 2026, to allow them to build their own clinker production facilities.

Karsan began as a quarry operator in Kitengela, Kilifi and Nakuru, before beginning cement production in 2015 and launching Ndovu Cement in June 2015.

UK/Norway: UK-based marine carbon capture firm Seabound has launched an onboard carbon capture project in partnership with Hartmann Group, InterMaritime Group and Heidelberg Materials Northern Europe. The solution equips the UBC Cork, a 5700 gross tonne cement carrier, with Seabound’s calcium looping carbon capture system. This system captures up to 95% of CO₂ and 98% of sulphur emissions from the ship’s exhaust using calcium hydroxide to absorb the CO₂ and convert it into limestone that is stored onboard until returning to port. The captured carbon will be offloaded at the Port of Brevik for use at Heidelberg Materials’ Brevik cement plant, host of the first industrial-scale carbon capture facility in the cement sector.

The project is co-funded by the Eurostars partnership on Innovative SMEs, part of Horizon Europe through the Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation. This funding supports collaborative research and development projects in a range of industries, including maritime transport.

CEO of Seabound Alisha Fredriksson said “We’re proud to partner with industry leaders like Heidelberg Materials and Hartmann to deliver scalable carbon capture solutions. We’re especially excited to be advancing this work in Brevik, a strategic location that’s rapidly establishing itself as a global hub for CCS with Heidelberg’s world-first facility and the Northern Lights pick up point. Together, we’re demonstrating how onboard carbon capture can accelerate emissions reductions in carbon-intensive sectors.”

Lars Erik Marcussen, Logistics project manager at Heidelberg Materials Northern Europe, said “Shipping cement is emissions-intensive, and Seabound’s system gives us a clear path to reduce those Scope 3 emissions while enhancing our circular use of captured CO₂. This project also brings us one step closer to decarbonising the logistics/transport part of our operations.”

Pakistan: The Supreme Court has granted a two-week stay to cement producers, suspending a recent ruling that required higher royalty payments on limestone. Earlier, the Lahore High Court had ordered producers to pay royalties based on 6% of the ex-factory price of cement or clinker. Producers argue that the levy is ‘disproportionate’ and intend to contest the case fully in the next hearing.

Tanzania: Tanzania Portland Cement Company (TPC), also known as Twiga Cement, has acquired a 95% stake in limestone extractor Mamba Cement from UAE-based Sura Holdings for US$15.9m. The acquisition secures access to major limestone deposits 125km from the TPC plant in Dar es Salaam, addressing limited reserves at its current Tegeta–Wazo Hill quarry. Twiga Cement said “The acquisition was done with the intention of vertical integration of Mamba Cement’s operations with TPC.”

TPC recorded a net profit of US$21.5m in 2024, down from US$37.6m in 2023. Sales fell by 8.5% year-on-year to US$170m, while clinker production declined by 1% and cement output rose by 0.3%. The dividend is expected to be approved and paid in June 2025. Tanzania’s cement market had 13 plants operating below 60% capacity utilisation as of December 2024.

UK: Heidelberg Materials UK has opened a railway line connecting its Horton limestone quarry in North Yorkshire to the rail network. The move reinstates the movement of materials by rail, following a transition to road transport upon the original closure of the railway line in 1965. Heidelberg Materials UK expects to supply 1650t/yr of stone for use as aggregates in the construction industry in North West England.

Papua New Guinea: The government will support the Mayur Lime and Cement Project (MLCP) and other lime and cement initiatives under the Special Economic Zones policy, aiming to eliminate cement imports, according to local press reports.

Minister for international trade and investment Richard Maru said the Marape-Rosso government wants to replace all imported cement and lower domestic costs.

He said “Cement is essential in building our nation. We have four other limestone projects on the way, in Central, Morobe (Finschhafen) and Chimbu. We want to see all our roads built with cement from the lime resources within PNG. We do not want to see any of our lime by-products like clinker to be sent overseas. All our lime must be used for our nation-building projects in PNG.”

He added “We are currently importing cement from China and we know that our cement factory in Lae is importing cement from other countries. We want this to cease when this project starts. We have enough resources here to supply our own needs and be the net exporter of cement.”

Bangladesh: Chhatak Cement’s plant in Sunamganj remains idle despite construction completing in March 2023, with production suspended due to unresolved gas and limestone supply issues, according to the Prothom Alo newspaper. The plant project began in 2016. New details confirm that the Bangladesh government has approved subcontracting of a cross-border ropeway to import limestone from India. Local firm Komorah Limestone Mining Company (KLMC), which already supplies limestone to Chhatak Cement, is in talks regarding the role. China-based contractor for the project, Nanjing Sea-Hope Cement Engineering, has agreed ‘in principle’ to this handover as of 18 March 2025, according to Chhatak Cement managing director Abdur Rahman.

Project officials stated that, once the new plant begins operations, it will be capable of producing 1500t/day of clinker and 500t/day of cement, triple its previous capacity. Reporters conducted a site visit on 8 April 2025, observing that a jetty had been constructed on the riverbank to unload clinker from the plant for grinding elsewhere. A conveyor system has been set up to move cement bags directly from the plant to transport, and a new conveyor belt has also been installed alongside the existing belt.

India: Shree Cement has secured mining rights for a limestone quarry spanning 912 hectares. The reserve has a capacity of 211Mt and is situated in Jaisalmer District, Rajasthan.

Iraq: Kurdistan Region prime minister Masrour Barzani will inaugurate the Dabin cement plant and power station in Erbil Governorate today, 12 May 2025, according to Kurdistan24 news. The foundation stone was laid nearly two years ago, on 22 June 2023.

The project spans 212,000m² and was built by China Power Investment Corporation. It includes a 6300t/day capacity cement plant and a 52MW power station, intended to both support the energy needs of the plant and feed into the broader grid to alleviate strain on regional electricity supplies. A limestone quarry 1km away from the plant supplies the limestone for production, where geological surveys have reportedly confirmed reserves of 150Mt, sufficient to sustain operations for at least 50 years.

Raw material is transported to the plant using a 1400t/hr capacity industrial crusher. The processed material is stored in four 10,000t silos, each 18m in diameter and 56m tall.