Kenya: Mombasa Cement will build a 20MW power plant at its Vipingo plant in Kilifi County, to help reduce energy costs. The US$19.4m project will generate 10MW of electricity using a waste heat recovery system and 10MW from solid fuels. The waste heat will be recovered from flue gases emitted during cement production. The plant has two clinker production lines. The power generated will be used onsite to support cement production.

India: JSW Cement plans to more than double its cement grinding capacity from 20.6Mt/yr to nearly 41Mt/yr. The expansion involves six new greenfield units in Rajasthan, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Maharashtra, and a brownfield unit in Vijayanagar; Karnataka, adding 20.25Mt/yr. The company also aims to increase its clinker production capacity from 6.44Mt/yr to 13.04Mt/yr. The new facilities in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh will each contribute 3.3Mt/yr to this expansion. In its offer document, JSW Cement stated that it sees potential in ‘green’ cement products like ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) and plans to expand its presence in northern and central India.

Philippines: James Hardie has shut down its HardieFlex fibre cement board plant in Cabuyao, Laguna, ending over two decades of operations. The company will cease all commercial operations in the Philippines in the coming months.

Türkiye: Türkiye’s global cement exports declined by 9% to US$2.1bn during the first half of 2024, according to a statement from the Ministry of Trade. In June 2024, exports dropped by 18% to US$336.5m. However, Türkiye's cement exports to Azerbaijan remained steady at US$24.8m during the first half of 2024. In June 2024, exports to Azerbaijan rose by 16.5% year-on-year to US$3.5m. Since the first half of 2023, Türkiye exported cement products valued at US$4.3bn.

Philippines: First Gen will supply electricity from geothermal sources to Holcim Philippines plants in Mindanao. Under the agreement, First Gen subsidiary Energy Development will provide 22% of the energy needs for Holcim's manufacturing facilities in Bunawan, Davao City, and Lugait, Misamis Oriental. This partnership is enabled by the Mindanao introduction of the retail competition and open access programme, allowing significant power consumers to select their electricity suppliers. Earlier in August 2024, Holcim announced an electricity supply agreement with Alsons Power to supply 80% of the energy needs for the two facilities.

First Gen president and chief operating officer Francis Giles Puno said "We are pleased to partner with Holcim Philippines to grow viably while decarbonising. It's not an easy journey to decarbonise and provide for a regenerative future. This requires collaboration not just through supplying power, but also through solutions that maximise and optimise electricity requirements and working to find a pathway towards net zero."

US: Fortera has raised US$85m in a funding round to increase its production of ‘low to zero-carbon’ cement, Bloomberg reports. New investors include Wollemi Capital, Saint-Gobain venture capital arm NOVA, Presidio Ventures and Alumni Ventures, alongside existing investors Khosla Ventures and Singapore state fund Temasek.

The startup, valued at US$355m, utilises a technology that captures CO₂ emissions from traditional cement production and converts them into a mineral form for low-carbon cement. Fortera's first industrial ‘green’ cement plant operates at CalPortland's facility in Redding, California.

India: JSW Cement has filed an offer document with the Securities and Exchange Board of India for an initial public offer (IPO) of US$477m, according to NewsBytes. The IPO includes an equal split of fresh issue and offer-for-sale, each valued at US$239m. The funds will be used partly to finance a new integrated cement plant in Nagaur, Rajasthan, with US$95.5m allocated for this purpose, and US$86m used to reduce its existing debt, which stood at US$696m as of March 2024.

Egypt: Sinai Cement recorded a reversal in consolidated net profits from net losses of US$1.63m in the first half of 2023 to US$13.3m in the first half of 2024. Sales rose from US$48.3m to US$55m in 2024. The company reported an increase in standalone profits, from previous losses of US$1.5m in 2023 to US$659m as of 30 June 2024. However, net sales declined from US$48.3m in 2023 to US$31m in the first six months of 2024. For the quarter ending 31 March 2024, Sinai Cement achieved consolidated net profits of US$6.17m.

Thailand: The Ratanarak Group, through its subsidiary Sunrise Equity, has increased its stake in Siam City Cement to 71.88% by acquiring a 25.54% share from Singapore-based Jardine Cycle & Carriage for US$354m. This move consolidates the Ratanarak Group's position as the sole major and controlling shareholder.

Malaysia: Borneo Cement Sabah (BCS) is set to commence land works and forest clearance in Tongod district starting early September 2024, following the approval of its site preparation plan by the Sabah Department of Environment on 19 July 2024.

The Borneo Post reports that the cement plant will be fully automated and digitally controlled, with a conveyor used for the 3km stretch between the clinker quarry and the cement processing plant. The project will cost US$274m and will see a new road network spanning 26km from Kampung Matiku, Nabawan to the plant site at Kampung Kayawoi, with additional facilities like a dam and water treatment plant being developed and other facilities for use by local residents.

The first phase of the contract is expected to last a year, with factory operations anticipated to begin as early as January 2026.