Displaying items by tag: Spain

Spain: Cement Portland Valderrivas’ 1.6Mt/yr integrated Alcalá de Guadiara plant in Andalusia one of five participants in an initiative for the prevention of operational risks called ‘Share It PRL.’ The initiative entails implementation of integrated business activity coordination software and communication stations throughout the Alcalá de Guadiara plant.

Spain: Cementos Molins has obtained loans from CaixaBank, Sabadell, BBVA, Santander and HSBC to a total value of Euro180m. EuropaPress has reported that the funds, consisting of a loan of Euro40m and a Euro140m revolving credit facility, of which Euro50m will be immediately available, will be used to clear the company’s debt and for future projects. The interest will be Euribor plus 0.9%.

Spain: The European Union of Aggregates Producers has granted two Sustainable Development Awards to Brazil’s Votorantim Cimentos for its El Toril quarry restoration plan and cave conservation plan for the Cova Eirós mine, which provided raw materials for clinker produciton at its 0.7Mt/yr integrated Oural plant. Votorantim Cimentos has partnered with the University of Santiago de Compostela to facilitate archaeological study of Cova Eirós, where 50,000-year-old findings have been made. Meanwhile at El Toril, the pit will be filled, levelled and enhanced for fertility so that it may resume its previous use as arable land.

Spain: LafargeHolcim Spain plans to spend around Euro20m to reduce its CO₂ emissions. The funding will be used to upgrade its plants from 2019 to 2022 with the aim of reducing its emissions by 90,000t/yr. It plans to increase its usage of alternative fuels and reduce its clinker ratio in its products. It follows European funding of Euro145m by LafargeHolcim across 80 projects in 19 European countries to reduce its annual CO₂ emissions by 15%. Overall the group hopes to reach by 2030 an average content of 520kg of CO₂ per ton of cement.

Spain: Pedro Carranza, the CEO of Cementos Portland Valderrivas (CPV), has sought to reassure his company with regards to the future of the Alcalá de Guadaíara plant in Andalusia following a dispute with local authorities.

“The future of the Alcalá de Guadaíra cement plant is assured,” he said. “It is an efficient, low-cost and very well located plant in a very attractive economic environment where construction growth is above the national average. The Alcalá plant is here to stay.” Carranza added that only ‘distortion of international markets’ could compromise the plant’s future. He called for a surge in public infrastructure investment as soon as possible.

The plant has been involved in a long-running dispute with local authorities regarding co-processing of alternative fuels. A project is now underway. The plant is also exploring long-term renewable energy purchase contracts and the installation of solar panels on its site.

Spain: Cementos Tudela Veguín’s new cement terminal on the El Musel North Pier of the Port of Gijón is fully constructed and licenced for operation. The terminal will serve for the reception and storage of 0.7Mt/yr of clinker for the company’s Narón grinding plant in La Coruña.

Spain: HeidelbergCement’s Spanish subsidiary HeidelbergCement Hispania has presented a range cementitious materials for use in floors and pavements with a focus on sustainable production at the Spanish Innovation Forum on Architecture, Construction and Reclamation in Barcelona. Its I.Tech Cargo cement-based premix based on TX Active technology boasts lower CO2 emissions in the cement production stage, while its I-Pro Stabex premix replaces cement with natural hydraulic lime.

Spain: Cementos Molins’ nine-month income rose by 8.0% year-on-year to Euro594m from Euro550m in the corresponding period of 2018. Its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 6.3%. Its South American subsidiaries’ sales and EBITDA outstripped those in other regions. The company’s consolidated net profit for the period rose by 9.7% to Euro70.2m from Euro64.0m in 2018.

Spain: Cement consumption in Andalusia fell by 3.3% in August 2019 to 221,970t. For January – August 2019 total consumption was 1.87Mt. It is thought that this is due to reduction in the region’s construction sector and a lack of civil works.

Exports fell by 58% year-on-year, reaching 88,136t, around 124,719t less than in August 2018. The accumulated value for 2019 is currently 46% lower year-on-year, at 731,720t.

Spain: The Association of Spanish Cement Producers (Oficem) has elected Víctor García Brosa its president. García Brosa is deputy general director of Cementos Portland Valderrivas (CPV). He was chief executive officer (CEO) at the company from 2015 to 2019. He joined CPV’s strategic planning department in 2005. He now faces the challenge of keeping the Spanish cement sector competitive globally, in addition to being director of multiple companies.

Energy costs for Spanish producers are 20 - 30% higher than in Germany and France. García Brosa has stated that he sees EU carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions rules not as an additional cost, but a challenge to the industry to reconcile its activities with its environment. Domestic cement consumption has fallen by 80% since 2007.