Displaying items by tag: Quarry

India: Tamil Nadu Cements plans to expand its limestone mining operations at the Pudupalayam quarry in Tamil Nadu. The New Indian Express newspaper has reported that local residents have protested against the planned expansion. Some local landowners claim that Tamil Nadu Cements did not pay them for the 121 hectares of land it originally acquired in Pudupalayam.

Türkiye: Titan Cement International (TCI) has acquired concession rights to the Vezirhan pozzolana quarry in East Marmara. The quarry will help TCI to expand its low-carbon cement production capacity. By 2030, the company aims to reduce its CO₂ emissions by 35% from 1990 levels, and include 50% green products in its portfolio.

Titan Group Eastern Mediterranean regional director Christos Panagopoulos said “Access to Vezirhan quarry’s strong reserves potential and high-quality material will allow Titan to further broaden the portfolio of low-carbon cementitious products available to its customers. The quarry has access to a deep port and railway transport, facilitating both land and seaborne distribution across Titan's global locations.”

Group chief sustainability and innovation officer Leonidas Canellopoulos said “Being future-ready for a net zero world is more than just an ambition for Titan, and the acquisition of concession rights in Vezirhan is part of our solid roadmap that entails over 100 initiatives, covering the entire scope of our geographic operations and span of our value chain.”

Czech Republic: Cemex Czech Republic resubmitted a revised environmental impact assessment (EIA) for its Prachovice quarry on 29 December 2023. Under the revised EIA, the quarry’s area will remain unchanged, but operations will expand to 1.7Mt/yr from 1.2Mt/yr. Authorities twice rejected previous EIAs for the mine.

Newton Media News has reported that the company says that its tests ‘clearly verified that the increased level of total organic carbon in air emissions was caused by one of the additives used in processing, and not by the content of organic substances in the mined raw material.’

Mexico: The government says that if US-based Vulcan Materials continues to reject offers for land in Quintana Roo on which its Calica-Sac-Tun quarry is situated, then it will designate the land Protected Natural Area status. Reuters has reported that the government has previously offered US$328 – 383m for the property. Vulcan Materials has mounted on-going legal challenges worth US$1.9bn against the Mexican government over the previous closure of its operations.

Thailand: China-based intelligent dumptruck supplier Waytous has partnered with Siam Cement Group (SCG), as well as Thailand Advanced Info Service, Huawei, and Zhengzhou Yutong Mining Equipment, to develop full-scope automated operating systems for limestone mines. SCG will host a study at its Saraburi limestone mine in Central Thailand. The study will use Waytous’ driverless vehicles, supported by 5G, AI, cloud computing and new battery technologies.

Waytous CEO Chen Long "We've carried out two phases of unmanned mining research for this project and found the most comprehensive, efficient, and effective unmanned solution for cement mines in Saraburi.”

Malaysia: A court has granted Associated Pan Malaysia Cement (APMC) the right to evict Buddhist monks from the Gunung Kanthan caves monastery in Hulu Kinta, Perak. The land is part of a site where APMC has leased 146 hectares of land for limestone extraction. New Straits Times News has reported that the producer operates quarries in Zones A and B of the site, but has yet to commence extraction from Zones C and D. Local authorities had previously given assurance that mining operations ‘would not disturb’ the monastery.

Monks from the Thudong tradition established the Gunung Kanthan caves monastery across two caves in Gunung Kanthan hill in the early 20th century. Today, it contains numerous artefacts and works of art.

Dominican Republic: Cemex is considering selling its subsidiary Cemex Dominicana according to Bloomberg. The Mexico-based group is reportedly working with JPMorgan Chase & Co on a potential divestment worth over US$1bn. Proceedings are at an early stage, with Cemex starting to talk to interested parties to assess potential interest.

Cemex has been operating in the Dominican Republic since 1995 when it acquired Cementos Nacionales. It runs the integrated 2.4Mt/yr San Pedro de Macorís cement plant. It also has ten concrete plants, three sea terminals, two aggregate quarries and a gypsum mine. It employs 1500 people directly. Cemex sold its subsidiaries in Costa Rica and El Salvador to Cementos Progreso for US$329m in 2022.

Spain: Cemex España has bought two new quarries near Madrid. The producer said that the quarries will strengthen its limestone reserves. It added that they include ‘all necessary elements’ for it to increase its services to the Madrid market.

Cemex’s Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia regional president Sergio Menéndez said “These acquisitions strengthen our existing network and enable us to better serve a growing market with high-quality, sustainable and circular products. We are excited to be part of Madrid’s growth, which contributes to improving the quality of life of its residents and setting an example for more sustainable and circular cities.”

US: Heidelberg Materials North America has reached an agreement with the administration of Santa Clara County to decommission its quarry in the county, near Cupertino. Silicon Valley News has reported that the quarry historically supplied limestone for cement production at Permanente cement plant, which came offline in April 2020. The county administration says that the deal signals that it has achieved its aim to ensure final closure of the Permanente plant.

Heidelberg Materials North America spokesperson Jeff Sieg said that the company is ‘pleased to formalise our agreement not to restart the kiln at our Permanente cement plant.’ He continued "We remain focused on working collaboratively with the community and other stakeholders on the development of a long-term strategy for the property, so that it can continue to provide value in the future.”

Spain: Residents of Cartagena, Murcia, have protested Cemex’s plans to begin mining pozzolan at new sites locally. The Murcia Plaza newspaper has reported that the protestors are calling for a mining ban, in line with their interpretation of the area’s Rural Area of Special Environmental and Social Sensitivity designation.