Australia: Veolia ANZ and ResourceCo have secured a contract to supply over 1Mt of refuse derived fuel (RDF) from their Adelaide facility to Adbri Cement's Birkenhead plant, aiming to replace natural gas and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. According to Veolia, around 1.5Mt of waste will be diverted from landfill during the course of the contract.

Brett Brown, chief operating officer at Adbri, said "Adbri has pioneered the use of RDF in Australia. Cement manufacturing is energy intensive, and the use of alternative fuels is one of the levers we are using to reduce our emissions as part of our goal of net zero by 2050."

Indonesia: The Jakarta administration has commenced the construction of the Rorotan refuse derived fuel (RDF) plant on a 7.8-hectare site in North Jakarta, aiming to process 2,500t/day of waste. The US$75m project is funded from the 2024 regional budget and is expected to be completed by December 2024 and start operations in early 2025. The city of Jakarta produces nearly 8,000t/day of waste, the majority of which goes to the Bantar Gebang landfill in West Java. The facility will convert 35-40% of the waste processed into about 875t/day of alternative fuels.

The Rorotan facility is the second RDF plant initiated by the Jakarta administration, following the Bantar Gebang facility, which began operations in 2023. This new facility marks a shift from the planned waste-to-energy incinerator in Sunter, which was cancelled due to high costs and bureaucratic delays.

Acting Jakarta governor Heru Budi Hartono said "This technology is still a very small part of our larger efforts to address the city's waste problem."

Head of the Jakarta Environment Agency Asep Kuswanto said "The RDF can become another source of revenue for the city, as we can sell the alternative fuel from the facility to industry."

India: The National Council for Cement and Building Materials has inaugurated the NCB Incubation Centre (NCB-IC) in New Delhi, designed to support small businesses and startups in the cement industry through mentorship, training and access to advanced laboratories.

This initiative is expected to create new opportunities for employment and technology development in the region, while also contributing to the overall growth and development of the country.

This development is part of the government's broader strategy to enhance the cement sector's contribution to national growth by promoting market-ready products and services.

Zambia: Grizzly Mining has announced an investment of US$200m to establish a cement plant in Solwezi, Northwestern Province. The announcement was made by the company’s vice chairperson Abdoul Ba during an interview, according to the Times of Zambia.

Brazil: Italy-based Buzzi will acquire complete ownership of cement producer Cimento Nacional in a deal valued between €290m and €310m. The transaction involves the exercise of a put option on a 50% stake by Grupo Ricardo Brennand, making Buzzi the sole owner, according to local sources.

Cimento Nacional operates five cement plants and two grinding sites, with a production capacity exceeding 7.2Mt/yr. Buzzi will finance the acquisition using existing liquidity and expects to finalise the transfer at the end of 2024.

Philippines: PHINMA Corporation, through its subsidiary Philcement Corporation, is set to acquire 100% of Petra Cement for US$8.6m. The Share Purchase Agreement was signed on 21 May 2024, with the transaction expected to close by 31 December 2024, according to the Manila Bulletin. This acquisition from Petra is part of PHINMA's expansion in the Mindanao region. The Petra Plant, with a capacity of 500,000t/yr, is located in Zamboanga del Norte.

Additionally, PHINMA plans to construct a 1.5Mt/yr cement packaging plant in Davao, raising its total capacity to approximately 5Mt/yr upon completion of all projects.

UK: Heidelberg Materials UK has acquired Bristol-based B&A Group. B&A Group employs a team of 70 and specialises in recycled and primary aggregate supply, site clearance, earthworks, land remediation and sustainable land regeneration. In its most successful year in 2023, the company achieved over US$63.5m in turnover and a pre-tax profit of US$11.5m.

CEO of Heidelberg Materials UK, Simon Willis, said “This announcement follows the completion of our acquisition of Mick George and adds an additional source of high-quality recycled materials for use in our sustainable building materials. It is an exciting opportunity for us, and I am looking forward to working with the B&A Group to grow the business further.”

Uzbekistan: By the end of 2024, Uzbekistan will commission new cement production capacity of 8Mt/yr, according to the Uzsanoatkurilishmateriallari Association. This expansion will raise the country’s total capacity to 40.8Mt/yr.

Currently, there are 38 cement companies in Uzbekistan, contributing to an existing capacity of 35.3Mt/yr. From January to April 2024, the country produced 4.8Mt of cement, marking a 19% increase from the previous year, Uzbekistan Daily reports. The projected cement production for 2024 is 16.7Mt, closely aligning with last year's demand of 16.8Mt.

Türkiye: Türkiye's exports of cement products to China grew 3% year-on-year to US$1.6m from January to April 2024, Trend News Agency reports. In April 2024, exports surged to US$537,000, up by 30% from April 2023, according to the Trade Ministry.

Conversely, Türkiye's global cement product exports fell 8% to US$1.4bn in the same period, with April 2024 witnessing a 9% decline to US$339.2m. Over the past 12 months, from April 2023 to April 2024, Türkiye's total cement exports reached US$4.5bn.

India: Dalmia Bharat has launched a new mill at its Ariyalur manufacturing unit in Tamil Nadu. The new 1Mt/yr cement unit increases the company's total manufacturing capacity to 45.6Mt/yr. This brownfield expansion is valued at US$24.5m and aligns with the company’s aim to increase its capacity to 110-130Mt/yr by 2031.

Managing director & CEO Puneet Dalmia said "Driven by robust infrastructure development, housing and investments, we anticipate cement demand to rise. This increased capacity will facilitate the growing demand in the southern region."