Chile: Melón’s new 0.25Mt/yr grinding plant that it is building at Punta Arenas is scheduled to start operation by the end of the first half of 2021. The unit is forecast to produce around 80,000t of cement in its 12 months, according to the La Prensa Austral newspaper. It has had an investment of US$30m and will create around 50 jobs. Spain-based Cemengal was previously reported as the supplier of the mill. It is intended to supply the Magallanes Region including Tierra del Fuego. The cement producer is also considering doubling the production capacity of the grinding plant to 0.5Mt/yr if the market supports it.

Ethiopia: East African Holding and China-based West China Cement have formed a joint venture. The Xinhua News Agency has reported that the partners plan to establish a multi-industrial complex in Ensaro Woreda district, Amhara regional state. Called Lemmi National Cement complex, the facility will house a 10,000t/day cement plant in addition to other industrial plants. The partners say that the facility will create 5000 jobs.

The first phase of the project will establish the cement plant and reach completion in late 2022.

Philippines: Japan-based Taiheiyo Cement subsidiary Taiheiyo Cement Philippines has announced the formation of the Philippines Renewal Construction Project team. The company says that the team will support work on a new production line at the company’s integrated San Fernando cement plant in Cebu. When finished, the upgrade will give the company a total production capacity of 3Mt/yr. The producer said that expanding production capacity in the country is among its biggest growth strategies. Its longer-term sales target is 5Mt/yr, corresponding to a domestic sales share of 10%.

The company anticipates a growth in cement demand in 2021, in part due to the government’s infrastructure budget of US$20.8bn, over 5% of gross domestic product.

Saudi Arabia: NCB Capital has predicted a growth in Saudi cement sales of 4% year-on-year to 52.8Mt in 2021. The investment and analyst division of National Commercial Bank described the sector’s outlook as ‘positive,’ due to on-going housing programmes and the Public Investment Fund’s 2021 – 2025 strategy, as well as a pick-up in infrastructure projects.

Europe: The European Union (EU) Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) has reached a price of Euro40/t for the first time in its history. Data from the environmental campaign group Sandbag show that on 9 March 2021 it hit Euro40.58/t. Carbon prices under the scheme started to climb in 2018 after stagnation in much of the 2010s. The fourth phase of the EU ETS started in January 2021.

US: Data from the US Geological Survey (USGS) shows that cement producers achieved volumes of 87Mt of Portland cement in 2020, a slight increase from 2019 levels. Portland and masonry cement volumes rose by 1% year-on-year to 89Mt from 88Mt, while clinker volumes remained level at 79Mt. Total cement shipments remained level at 103Mt. The value of shipments in 2020 was US$12.7bn. Total exports of cement and clinker were 1.0Mt, down from slightly over 1.0Mt in 2019. The USGS said that on-going upgrades, closed and mothballed plants, low capacity utilisation and relatively inexpensive imports constrained the industry’s growth.

Domestic consumption fell by less than 1% to 102Mt from 103Mt. Cement imports totalled 15.0Mt, up slightly from 14.7Mt, while clinker imports rose to 1.4Mt from 1.2Mt. This corresponded to a 15% rise in reliance on imports of cement and clinker. The main exporters of cement and clinker to the country were Canada, accounting for 33% of US imports, Turkey (16%), Greece (15%) and China (12%).

Germany/Sweden: Refratechnik Group and Sweden-based Höganäs Borgestad Group have started a strategic agreement for the supply of refractory products to customers in Nordic countries. Höganäs Borgestad customers will now have direct access to the product range and application knowledge of the Refratechnik Group. The refractory suppliers said that their arrangement, “underscores the desire of both companies for long-term, sustainable and mutually beneficial partnerships; resulting in a secure supply of top-quality product for the customer.”

Germany-based Refratechnik Group operates refractory and industrial mineral businesses, with over 1900 employees in 27 locations worldwide. Sweden-based Höganäs Borgestad is the largest refractory company in the Nordic region providing installation services and refractory materials to many industries.

Dominican Republic: Cemex Dominicana plans to recommission line 1 at its 2Mt/yr integrated San Pedro de Macorís plant. The move is expected to increase its existing clinker production capacity by more than 0.5Mt/yr. The reactivation is scheduled for the last quarter of 2021. It is part of Cemex Dominicana's growth plan, seeking to strengthen its capacity to response to both local market demand and the export market.

"At Cemex Dominicana, we reiterate our commitment to the sustainable development of the Dominican Republic, in the context of boosting the national economy, aiming with these investment plans to reduce the need for imports, promote local industry, and contribute to the generation of employment in the country," said José Antonio Cabrera, Director of Cemex Dominicana.

India: JSW Cement has signed a contract with JSW Energy to acquire the latter’s 18MW Salboni thermal power plant for US$13.1m. The Press Trust of India newspaper has reported that the companies are conducting the transaction on a slump sale basis. The cement producer plans to optimise labour costs in light of low power demand on the unit. Both companies are subsidiaries of JSW Group.

Austria: RHI Magnesita recorded consolidated net sales Euro2.26bn in 2020, down by 23% year-on-year from Euro2.92bn in 2019. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) were Euro140m, down by 53% from Euro300m. Pre-tax profit for the year was Euro42.0m, down by 30% from Euro200m.

The group attributed the declines to lower refractory volumes as a result of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on market demand. It said that customers began re-stocking supply chains at the end of 2020 and into the first quarter of 2021, driving increased refractory demand. Its cement and lime business declined by 21% in 2020. The supplier said that the business recorded a ‘strong performance’ in the first quarter, characteristic of seasonal demand, followed by weak second and third quarters when demand was negatively impacted by the Covid-19 outbreak.

Chief executive officer Stefan Borgas said, “2020 has been the most challenging year that our industry has experienced. Throughout the pandemic, RHI Magnesita has protected the health and safety of our employees, ensured business continuity for our customers and taken initiatives to support liquidity and underpin future profitability. Through one of the severest downturns on record, we demonstrated the resilience of our business model and the outstanding commitment of our people while our strong financial position has enabled us to accelerate investment in our strategic priorities.”