Displaying items by tag: Project

Norway: thyssenkrupp Polysius will supply the kiln system for SMA Mineral’s quicklime plant, designed to operate without CO₂ emissions using SaltX’s electric calcination technology. The pilot facility is scheduled for completion in 2027, and will produce 40,000t/yr of quicklime. The project has received €24m in funding from Norwegian state enterprise Enova.

thyssenkrupp Polysius CEO Christian Myland said “We are proud to contribute to this landmark project that sets a new standard for sustainable lime production. Our collaboration with SMA Mineral and SaltX Technology demonstrates how industrial partnerships can accelerate the transition to net-zero emissions. This project is a testament to our commitment to engineering solutions that drive decarbonisation.”

The partnership between SaltX Technology and thyssenkrupp Polysius follows the signing of a Letter of Intent in February 2025.

Vietnam: Local authorities have stated that a US$196m cement plant project in the northern Ninh Binh province has remained abandoned for 18 years. The 1.1Mt/yr Phu Son Cement Plant was launched in 2007 with plans to begin operations by 2011. Construction was halted in 2012 and never resumed, according to the Việt Nam News newspaper. The investor, Phu Son Cement JSC, chaired by a Czech national of Vietnamese origin, has not responded to government efforts since promising to restart work in 2017.

Authorities say that they have been unable to reclaim the 40-hectare site due to assets built on the land and the absence of a legal representative. Despite multiple attempts by provincial officials and ministries to resolve the matter, the project remains in limbo.

Algeria: The Minister of Industry Sifi Ghrieb has announced a project to build two new low-carbon cement plants in Djelfa and Relizane in central Algeria with a capacity of 1.5Mt/yr and 2Mt/yr respectively, according to Zawya news. An existing cement plant in Djelfa will also see its capacity expanded by 1.5Mt/yr.

The new projects will boost Algeria’s cement capacity to 42Mt/yr. It currently has a cement demand of 30Mt/yr and exports a surplus of 12Mt/yr of cement. Ghrief reportedly discussed plans to expand the Djelfa plant in March 2025 with a delegation from the China State Construction Engineering Corporation. A separate 2Mt/yr low-carbon cement plant, a partnership between local, UAE-based and India-based companies, is also under construction in El Milia, utilising slag and fly ash from a nearby power station and steel complex.

UK: Holcim UK has welcomed a €33.1m investment by the National Wealth Fund into the Peak Cluster carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, which will decarbonise 40% of the UK’s cement and lime production and support over 2000 existing jobs, as well as creating new ones. Led by Progressive Energy, Peak Cluster is a partnership between Holcim UK, Breedon, Tarmac and Sigma Roc involving cement and lime plants in Derbyshire and Staffordshire, including Holcim UK’s 1Mt/yr Cauldon plant. The project aims to reduce annual carbon emissions from its partners by 3Mt/yr from 2032 (25% of annual CO₂ output for the area), by capturing CO₂ from the plants and transporting it by pipeline to Morecambe Net Zero's disused gas fields under the East Irish Sea.

The investment will fund front-end engineering and design (FEED) and other studies to support a final investment decision in 2028. Holcim UK CEO Lee Sleight said that CCS is ‘essential’ to decarbonise cement manufacturing and achieve net zero by 2050.

Peak Cluster CEO John Egan said it will create a ‘backbone of industrial opportunity’ across northern England.

Zimbabwe: The Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) has called on the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development to suspend operations on a US$1bn cement project in Magunje, Mashonaland West, citing ‘a spiralling crisis’ of human rights abuses, forced displacements and environmental harm, according to Pindula News. The project is led by Labenmon Investments, in partnership with China-based West International Holding. It is expected to produce 0.9Mt/yr of cement and 1.8Mt/yr of clinker. The project will reportedly create 5000 jobs and spur local development, but CNRG has raised concerns on behalf of local communities.

There have been reports that communities have been forcefully removed from their ancestral lands and graves of relatives ‘desecrated’ in the wake of mining developments. The group also raised concerns about alleged ‘fraudulent consultations,’ with legally required village meetings bypassed and affected communities excluded from decision-making processes. The newspaper also reported that eight villagers from Kapere were arrested for standing up to the mining project and continue to be summoned to the court despite the complainants failing to appear. CNRG staff members also reportedly faced threats from the Zimbabwe National Army while conducting an inspection in Kemapondo village.

There are also reports of the local Magunje Dam being polluted by the cement plant and of fires sparked during land clearing exercises, which have razed farmlands. There are also concerns of labour violations, with employees allegedly working in dangerous conditions, below the minimum wage and without formal contracts. The Zimbabwe Diamond and Allied Minerals Workers Union has escalated the matter to the Labour Court.

UK: Holcim UK has completed all civil engineering works at its new Tilbury Cement Terminal on the River Thames, marking the transition to structural and mechanical installation.

The three-year project has now progressed beyond excavation, foundations, utilities and site roads. Wright Brothers Industrial Services will lead the next phase, installing materials handling and processing systems. Collinson Construction is installing the storage hall superstructure, while Dome Technology begins work on the dome silo, which will hold up to 30,000t of cement.

Japan: Mitsubishi UBE Cement’s joint project with the city of Kitakyushu to pilot carbon recycled materials in public infrastructure has been selected for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s 2024 grant programme.

Centred around the producer’s Kyushu plant in Kurosaki, Kitakyushu, the project will recycle CO₂ and waste cement from local sources for use in municipal construction. Mitsubishi UBE Cement said it aims to establish a model for resource circulation that can be expanded nationwide.

Jamaica: TCL Group subsidiary Caribbean Cement has commissioned its US$42m debottlenecking project at its Rockfort plant in East Kingston. The capacity of the expanded kiln was not disclosed.

During a ribbon cutting ceremony, Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness said “When we invest in our factories, we invest in our families. When we strengthen our production capacity, we strengthen our national development. This project does more than support housing. It supports jobs. The expanded kiln will enable higher throughput, greater efficiencies, and potentially more stable employment for hundreds of workers.’

He added “Instead of importing, we will be exporting. Instead of consuming value-added goods, we will be producing them. This is the shift from dependency to self-determination.”

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce Aubyn Hill said “Everywhere you go, cement is being used, and Caribbean Cement is doing a great job! We want every bag of cement used in Jamaica to be made here because, for every bag that we import, we send jobs overseas. Our job in Jamaica is to keep jobs here.”

Russia: The Union of Cement Producers (SOYUZCEMENT) and National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) have signed a cooperation agreement to strengthen ties. The partnership will focus on cement engineering, including reverse engineering, development of technological equipment, and solutions to enhance the cement sector’s ‘technological sovereignty’ and environmental safety, according to RBC News.

The two parties will also work together on a cement project. Executive director of SOYUZCEMENT Daria Martynkina said “SOYUZCEMENT, together with Tomsk Polytechnic University, is implementing a project to create a standard line for the production of dry cement with a capacity of 1Mt/yr, consisting entirely of Russian and Belarusian equipment. Colleagues from TPU have already joined this process, and I am sure that the agreement will help to intensify cooperation.”

Iraq: The Ministry of Industry and Minerals plans to establish new cement plants with a total production capacity of 52Mt/yr, according to Iraqi News. Ministry spokesperson Doha Al-Jabouri said Iraq’s existing plants currently produce 32Mt/yr. The strategy responds to growing domestic demand and ongoing construction projects and aims to meet future requirements through integrated plant development.

Prime minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani launched six new cement plants in Muthanna province in April 2025 worth US$1.171bn. Al-Sudani said the goal is to meet local demand and end cement imports.