Displaying items by tag: Suspension

Russia: CEMROS has suspended cement production at its Belgorod cement plant due to market deterioration, reduced profitability and a rising share of imports on the domestic market. The company said that the forced downtime will be used for equipment repairs, with operations expected to resume within a few months.

Cement consumption in Russia fell by 9% in the first half of 2025, and by 10.5% in the second quarter. Consumption in the Central Federal District, including the Belgorod region, dropped by 12% in June 2025, and by 8% in the Belgorod region itself. CEMROS expects the decline to reach 13-15% by the end of 2025. The producer attributed the decline to high interest rates, the end of preferential mortgage programmes and a slowdown in construction projects. CEMROS said that imports in 2025 have increased year-on-year, with the majority coming from Belarus. Imports from Iran have also increased by 25% since 2024. The producer said that the total volume of imported cement will be around 4Mt by the end of 2025.

CEMROS said that all employees will remain on staff with pay and benefits, and some will be relocated to other plants.

Egypt: The Egyptian government has frozen the implementation of an earlier decision to reduce cement production capacities following a two-month suspension that took place during May and June 2025. The move aims to increase local supply and curb prices, which have reportedly been rising since the start of 2025 due to a decline in demand.

Shaimaa Aboulmagd, commercial director at Misr Beni Suef Cement, said the decision is expected to bring prices down further and that many cement companies have already started to reduce prices.

Ahmed El-Zeiny, head of the building materials division at the Cairo Chamber of Commerce, said the market is now anticipating price stabilisation due to increased supply, noting that the sector had recently faced reduced availability from higher exports and the closure of nine cement production lines.

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.

India: The Karatoya cement plant in Rajganj, West Bengal, will suspend operations for two months following the termination of its commercial agreement with a business partner, according to The Siliguri Times. The closure affects around 80 permanent and temporary workers, who staged a protest outside the plant. The company had reportedly been producing cement under contract for a ‘reputed’ cement brand for several years. The plant initially operated independently before transitioning to contract production.

Tapan Dey, president of workers organisation INTTUC Jalpaiguri district, said that plant management must provide at least two months of financial support to affected workers and that the matter would be raised with the Jalpaiguri Deputy Labour Commissioner.

Nepal: Hetauda Cement Industry resumed cement production on 7 April 2025 following a five-month suspension due to electricity shortages. According to general manager Nabin Kumar Karna, the plant requires 8MW/day of electricity to crush limestone.

The plant reportedly holds 1900t of coal in reserve and is acquiring a further 4000t through a bidding process. Though its capacity is 18,000 bags/day, current output is only 12,000 bags/day.

Fiji: Pacific Cement has suspended its cement production following a mill breakdown.

The Fijian Holdings subsidiary has sent the damaged mill part to Australia for repairs and expects the outage to last for around three months.

Thailand/Myanmar: Siam Cement Group (SCG) has suspended the operations of two plants in Myanmar and halted any expansion plans over the next two years amid ongoing economic decline and political instability. The economic situation in Myanmar has deteriorated since the outbreak of Covid-19 and was exacerbated by the 2021 military coup and continuing conflicts between the junta government and various ethnic groups, reports The Nation newspaper.

SCG's executive vice president, Thammasak Sethaudom, stated that the company has invested over US$240m in these facilities. He said "There is no hope of resuming operations anytime soon. Myanmar has another cement plant in the north, owned by a Chinese company and guarded by the Chinese military. SCG could not do that and we would not risk our employees’ lives."

Philippines: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is enforcing stricter measures against non-compliant cement importers to protect the local market from substandard products. The DTI Bureau of Philippine Standards recently made a suspension after it conducted a market surveillance in Iloilo as part of its intensified monitoring of cement imports entering the country. The Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (CeMAP) praised the recent actions of the DTI against cement importers, arguing that there has been ‘excessive’ and ‘unfairly priced’ volume of imported cement in the country to the detriment of local manufacturers, according to The Philippine Star.

CeMAP said “This recent action of the DTI-BPS sends a resounding message that non-compliance and unfair trade practices will not be tolerated. The impact of the DTI’s actions extend beyond the cement industry itself. A strong and competitive local cement sector is vital in supporting the Philippines’ continued infrastructure development and economic growth.”

Tunisia: Les Ciments de Bizerte has announced that it experienced financial difficulties during the first quarter of 2024. The company was unable to import petcoke due to a lack of cash and looming loan repayments, leading to the total suspension of clinker production. This left the company only able to grind existing clinker and operate its quay. As a result, the company’s total sales in the first quarter of 2024 fell by 53% year-on-year compared to the same period in 2023, falling from US$8.3m to US$3.9m.

Germany: Heidelberg Materials will stop producing clinker at its 700,000t/yr Hanover cement plant in Lower Saxony later in 2024, and transition the plant to grinding-only. The producer took the decision following a ‘significant drop’ in its cement sales, amid local low construction activity and a market shift towards lower-cement materials. Nonetheless, it intend to raise its capacity utilisation at its 1Mt/yr Ennigerloh, 900,000t/yr Geseke and 400,000t/yr Paderborn cement plants in neighbouring North Rhine-Westphalia. These will supply clinker to the Hanover grinding plant in future. Heidelberg Materials says that the plant's strategic location will ensure its continued importance in regional cement supply. Part of the 120-strong workforce at the Hanover plant will remain at the new grinding plant. The company will collaborate with the works council to find ‘acceptable solutions’ for the remainder of the team, possibly including intra-group transfers to other divisions and locations.

The Calix consortium’s on-going LEILAC 2 carbon capture project will now move from the Hanover plant to another Heidelberg Materials plant. Australia-based Calix is collaborating with Heidelberg Materials to identify a suitable new site as quickly as possible.