US: The US Department of Commerce has concluded a review of anti-dumping duties of imports of grey cement and clinker from Japan. The review established that the duties are necessary to the prevention of cement and clinker dumping. The department launched its review in June 2022, in line with legal requirements. Japanese cement and clinker have been subject to anti-dumping duties in the US since 1991.

Panama: Waste management company EMG has won a contract with Cemex Panama for the supply of solid recovered fuel (SRF) derived from commercial and industrial waste, beginning in early 2023. EMG is working to expand its SRF production capacity to 18,000t/yr from the start of the supply contract.

India: JSW Cement has taken a loan of US$48.9m with which to finance its planned 47% capacity growth to 25Mt/yr from 17Mt/yr. MUFG Bank India provided the loan subject to sustainability-linked criteria. Press Trust of India News has reported that the producer’s subsidiary Shiva Cement is in the process of establishing a US$183m 1.36Mt/yr clinker plant and 1Mt/yr grinding plant in Odisha’s Sundergarh District.

Peru: Grupo Gloria subsidiary Yura says that it is contemplating a cement production capacity expansion. The producer says that process optimisation across its Arequipa and Southern Peruvian cement footprint might go some way towards achieving the envisioned growth. It added that any such projects would go hand in hand with a reform of its customer service practices. Yura is also evaluating possible new limestone mining projects at Pampas del Pongo and Zafranal, and an expansion of its lime production.

DF Sud News has reported that Yura expects to increase its Peruvian cement deliveries by 8 – 10% year-on-year in 2022. Its cement, concrete and lime director for Peru, Chile and Bolivia, Julio Cáceres, forecasts that Peru’s construction demand will continue to grow at twice the rate of gross domestic product. He acknowledged that the company’s 2023 results will likely reflect the country’s expected muted growth compared to 2022. Cáceres said that US$700m-worth of private investment across 30 residential projects in Arequipa is currently suspended, pending the publication of the city’s revised metropolitan development plan.

India: Research by the Indian Institute of Technology – Madras (IIT Madras) has concluded that limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) production emits 40% less CO₂ than ordinary Portland cement (OPC) production, and is 20% less energy intensive. United News of India has reported that the Switzerland-based Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation supported the study.

India: UltraTech Cement and India Cements are reportedly poised to conclude a deal for the acquisition of the latter’s 185ha Pawai limestone mine in Panna, Madhya Pradesh, by Mumbai-based UltraTech Cement. Marketline News has reported that the Aditya Birla subsidiary expects to pay US$98m for the asset.

France: Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies is supplying its low-CO₂ clinker-free cement for the construction of an industrial prototype glass wool recycling plant in Chemillé-en-Anjou by Saint-Gobain subsidiary Isover. The company will supply its H-UKR cement for use in the facility’s foundations.

Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies co-founders Julien Blanchard and David Hoffmann said "This unprecedented project is totally in line with what we want to embody since the creation of Hoffmann Green: the promotion of the circular economy in the construction sector through the revalorisation of waste from industry."

India: Jaypee Group subsidiary Jaiprakash Associates is reportedly seeking to sell its remaining assets after receiving a new insolvency bid from State Bank of India. The Times of India newspaper has reported that the company has previously sold US$4.92bn-worth of assets to pay off debts.

Jaiprakash Associates chair and chief executive officer Manoj Gaur said "We have kept faith in the law of the land and helped maximise recoveries of the bank. The setback is due to circumstances and issues such as the UltraTech deal. Our intent is to clear all the dues.”

The producer failed to sell a cement plant to UltraTech Cement under a US$2.05bn, 21.2Mt/yr cement capacity deal in 2017.

Brazil: CSN Cimentos has announced its second issuance of non-convertible debentures totalling US$125m in value through a restricted efforts public offering. LC news has reported that the company’s subsidiary Elizabeth Cimentos guaranteed the transaction.

France: Fives has secured a contract to supply a 65MW Pillard NOVAFLAM Evolution burner to a cement producer. The customer’s aims are to continue to maximise alternative fuel (AF) use, to improve clinker quality and to reduce NO_x emissions at its cement plant. The order also includes precalciner burners and a natural gas-powered 35MW Pillard hot gas generator, as well as valve trains and pumping systems.