Displaying items by tag: Plant

Vietnam: Thailand-based Siam Cement Group (SCG) says it is expanding the production of its SCG Low Carbon cement product in southern Vietnam. It plans to export up to 8000t/day of the product to the US, Canada, and Australia, as well as supplying local green-procurement projects, according to the Vietnam Business Forum. The company says its low-carbon cement reduces CO₂ emissions by up to 20%, compared to regular products, through the use of alternative fuels, renewable energy sources and installing waste heat recovery (WHR) units at its plants. SCG formally launched SCG Low Carbon Super Cement in the country in July 2024.

Malaysia: Borneo Cement (Sabah) (BCS) plans to convert its upcoming integrated cement plant in Sabah's Tongod district into a tourist destination once the plant begins operations in May 2025. According to BCS chair Masiung Banah, limestone processing and environmental protection practices could serve as a an ‘attractive package’ for foreign and domestic tourists, according to The Star Malaysia. He said that limestone areas rich in flora and fauna and tropical ecosystems would be maintained without being polluted by factory waste. The plant will also reportedly be made into a research hub for Malaysian universities. It is currently in its first phase of development.

Uzbekistan: Customs authorities have raised the clearance fee for cement imported from Tajikistan by seven-fold. In early November 2024 the fee was increased by US$300/t from US$35/t previously, according to the Asia Plus news agency. A source quoted by the news agency speculated that the move follows a strategy meeting by local cement manufacturers in October 2024. Tajikistan has previously been the main supplier of cement to Uzbekistan. However, as the country has built new cement plants, often supported by investors in China, domestic production capacity is growing. The Uzbek government previously banned cement imports for a short period in mid-2020.

Malaysia: Masiung Banah, the chair of Borneo Cement, has said that no forest clearance is taking place at the site of a proposed integrated cement plant in Tongod region. He explained that logging had taken place at the site before the project was proposed, according to the Star newspaper. The company added that it holds Environmental Impact Assessment approval to build a quarry and connecting road. It made a statement on the issue in response to the issue being raised by the Warisan Party at the Sabah state assembly in late November 2024.

Borneo Cement is a joint-venture between the Sabah state government and China-based Sinoma Industry. It plans to invest around US$270m in the project. Commissioning is scheduled from early 2026.

Zambia: China Zambia De Jin Xin Cement plans to invest US$170m in the Zambian economy to build a cement plant, a power plant, a mine and a high calcium powder plant, according to ZNBC. The construction is expected to begin in November 2025, according to the company's director, Jianbao Zhao. This investment will reportedly create over 1000 jobs during the construction phase and more than 500 permanent positions once operational.

Afghanistan: A joint venture of two local and two China-based companies plans to build a new US$200m, 1Mt/yr-capacity cement plant in Balkh. Afghan state media has reported that the plant will generate 1000 local jobs and reduce the reliance on imports in Northern Afghanistan.

Kazakhstan: International Cement Group has opened its fourth plant, Korcem, increasing its capacity by 38% to 5.5Mt/yr. The US$153m investment aims to support the growing construction demands in Central Asia and is expected to meet rising export demand, especially from Kyrgyzstan.

Fiji: Fijian Holdings (FHL) plans to construct a new cement plant within the next two to three years in Lami, replacing the current facility which began operations in 1962. According to CEO Jaoji Koroi, the existing plant, operated by subsidiary Pacific Cement, has faced issues with machine breakdowns, which have affected production and profitability. In 2023, damaged machine parts forced the plant to close down for two months. The proposed new plant reportedly aims to produce more ‘environmentally-friendly’ products. The announcement follows a year where Pacific Cement saw reduced sales due to price controls and outdated equipment.

Pakistan: Cherat Cement CEO Azam Farooq and fellow executives met Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on 15 November 2024 to discuss the potential establishment of a new cement plant in Dera Ismail Khan. The Balochistan Times newspaper has reported that the Governor ‘assured full support’ for the proposed project.

Germany: Heidelberg Materials has started the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) Study phase on the GeZero project at its Milke plant in Geseke. The technical planning phase is being conducted by Fluor Corporation. It will focus on the design and integration of the various systems into the overall technical concept, which also includes a CO₂ transport solution. The technical planning is expected to be completed in mid-2025 with construction scheduled to start in 2026.

Christian Knell, CEO of Heidelberg Materials Germany, said “With GeZero, Heidelberg Materials will rely on CO₂ capture using state-of-the-art oxyfuel technology in combination with a CO₂ cleaning and liquefaction plant. To pave the way for domestic CCS plants, a CO₂ transport solution by rail is part of the planning until the necessary pipeline infrastructure is available. In addition, a local CO2 storage hub is to be created as interim storage. The electrical energy requirement for the operation of the plant is to be covered exclusively by renewable energies. A new photovoltaic system in the vicinity of the factory premises will help to meet the needs.”

The GeZero project is preparing to build a carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) value chain for the Geseke cement plant, North Rhine-Westphalia, in inland Germany. It aims to capture 0.7Mt/yr of CO₂ starting from 2029. The project is supported by the European Union Innovation Fund.