India: Birla Corporation plans to raise US$20m through redeemable non-convertible debentures (NCD). It has allotted 1500 NCDs with a value of around US$13,500 on a private placement basis. The producer announced plans in August 2020 for an upgrade to its Durgapur grinding plant in West Bengal.

India: Orient Cement has entered into a share purchase, subscription and shareholder’s agreement with AMPTechnology and AMPSolar Systems. It will acquire a 26% stake in the latter for around US$0.6m. The Press Trust of India has reported that AMPSolar Systems is establishing a 13.5MW solar power plant in Maharashtra, where Orient Cement operates an integrated cement plant.

Nepal: Four explosions at Saurya Cement’s Udayapur quarry in Province No. 1 have injured five workers. The Republica newspaper has reported that the cause was allegedly a bombing campaign by an unidentified group, which also destroyed two vehicles. Police described the conditions of the victims, who are receiving treatment in Katari Hospital, as ’normal.’ The incident follows a similar event at the Tapli rural municipality office in the district in November 2020.

India: Police have made arrests in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh where cement was being bagged in falsely branded UltraTech Cement bags. The Free Press Journal has reported that the authorities confiscated over 1000 bags in the raid. They believe that the plant has been operative since 2018. Investigations continue, including a manhunt for suspected ringleader Jitendra Singh.

Argentina: Cement producers in Argentina shipped 1.13Mt of cement in November 2020, up by 28% year-on-year from 0.88Mt in November 2019 and by 4% month-on-month from 1.09Mt in October 2020. The Economista newspaper has reported that the figure is a high-water mark for monthly production since September 2017. Consumption also rose to 1.09Mt, up by 25% year-on-year from 0.87Mt and 2% month-on-month from 1.07Mt.

India: Switzerland-based LafargeHolcim plans to invest US$112m in implementing waste heat recovery (WHR) plants across six of its cement plants in India by the end of 2022. The group has estimated a net carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions reduction of 0.5Mt/yr as a result of the installations, towards its target of a 65% total reduction between 2018 and 2030.

Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) Magali Anderson said, "On our net zero journey, we set ourselves an ambitious scope-two target. I am very excited to see India leading the way by investing US$112m in WHR. This major step forward builds on our procurement teams’ work in renewable energy."

When commissioned, the new plants will double the group’s WHR power generation capacity in India.

Germany: The German Cement Works Association (VDZ) has published a study entitled ‘Decarbonising cement and concrete: a CO₂ roadmap for the German cement industry,’ detailing the planned transformation to cement industry-wide carbon neutrality by 2050.

The study says that a decarbonisation scenario based on conventional reduction measures would cut carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions by 36% between 2019 and 2050. Chief executive officer (CEO) Martin Schneider said that the sector is already “reaching the limits of its potential for any further reduction in the volume of CO₂, particularly as the process-related emissions specifically associated with clinker production cannot be lowered by employing conventional means." As such, the association proposed a “completely new approach to the production of cement and its use in concrete” in order to realise full climate neutrality. It proposes that cement producers help to reduce concrete’s clinker factor, capturing the remaining CO₂ from necessary cement production.

Schneider said, "We have placed the decarbonisation of cement and concrete at the heart of our activities. It will be essential to achieve an integrated approach, incorporating the entire construction value chain.” In order for this more radical scenario to work, he added, “Another essential factor will be to involve society as a whole in this process."

Spain: Cementos Cosmos has partnered with France-based EDF energy to establish a 6.2MW solar power plant in Toral de los Vados, León, at a cost of Euro4m. The Diario de León newspaper has reported that the plant intends to use 9.0GWhr/yr of energy from the new unit. This will provide 15% of the electrical power requirements at the cement plant. The 14,000-panel project is scheduled for completion in mid-2021.

Italy: The Italian cement and concrete association Federbeton says that investments in sustainable technologies in domestic cement production totalled Euro110m between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2019. This reduced carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions by 311,000t in 2019 alone, up by 12% year-on-year from the reduction in 2018. An increased alternative fuel (AF) substitution rate of 6.7% in 2019 contributed to the reduction, up by 0.7% from 6.6%. Producers’ full-year AF consumption was 1.6Mt.

Kenya: LafargeHolcim subsidiary Bamburi Cement has made a donation of personal protective equipment (PPE) worth US$46,800 to coronavirus rapid response teams and 11 health facilities in Kajiado, Kilifi, Kwale, Machakos and Mombasa Counties. The company said that the donations include “N95 masks, surgical gloves, coveralls, goggles, face shields and shoe covers.” This will constitute part of the US$140,000 donations promised by the company to “support the fight against the spread of Covid-19.”

Group managing director Seddiq Hassani said, "During the cheque handover to the Covid-19 Emergency Response Fund Board earlier this year, we committed to continued support to Covid-19 management efforts and therefore, with the escalating numbers of Covid-19 cases, today we fulfil our promise with this donation to our frontline healthcare workers who continue to serve with fortitude by ensuring that they remain safe while serving Kenyans. We value their priceless role in battling Coronavirus.” He added, “We care for the community and we are determined to be part of the solution to this pandemic and make a difference for the benefit of us all.”