Global Cement Newsletter

Issue: GCW783 / 28 October 2026

Headlines


Heidelberg Materials announced this week that plans for its GeZero project in Geseke, Germany, have been paused. This follows similar hiatuses this year for other projects by Heidelberg Materials in Sweden and Canada and by Holcim in Belgium. Yet this stands in contrast to the latest Global CCS Institute report that noted over 100 commercial-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects in operation.

The GeZero suspension has been blamed partly on the CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure for the Geseke cement plant. The company’s exact words were “Current framework conditions are not yet sufficient to support a robust business case. In particular, the relevant value chains are not yet mature enough to ensure that CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure solutions will be available on time, and at an acceptable level of economic risk for us as a CO₂ producer.” The group took pains to point out that continued cement production at the unit will remain unaffected by this decision. It also flagged its operational carbon capture and storage (CCS) at Brevik in Norway and work on the Padeswood CCS project in the UK, which started in late 2025.

The Heidelberg Materials’ pilot carbon capture project at its Edmonton cement plant in Canada was reportedly put on hold in August 2026. In a statement to local press it said, “Heidelberg Materials regularly reviews project requirements, external support needs, and resource allocations to ensure responsible stewardship of company resources and shareholder capital.” One commentator at the time linked the decision to uncertainty on government support and low local carbon prices. The group’s CCS project at Slite in Sweden was paused in late 2025 and it then withdrew its permit application in March 2026. The decision to pause the project in November 2025 followed confirmation that the Swedish Energy Agency had rejected a funding application.

Holcim’s Go4Zero project at its Obourg cement plant in Belgium is a distinctive case because the group appears to have decided to delay the second phase of the project. Phase one was to build a new air-oxyfuel switchable kiln at the unit. Ground-breaking on this started in mid-2024. However, in late January 2026 local press reported that the second phase of the project had been paused due to uncertainties surrounding nearby CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure. Phase two was to deploy “the end-to-end CO2 value chain alongside our industry partners.” To this end Holcim signed a deal with Air Liquide in February 2026 whereby the supplier would provide the oxygen for the kiln line and the cryogenic capture technology. However, local press also noted that the final investment decision required more partnerships along the value chain and further government support. To be fair to Holcim though, even building the air-oxyfuel switchable kiln is a major achievement. Commissioning is expected in early 2027.

The examples contrast with the somewhat upbeat message from the Global CCS Institute last week in its Global Status of CCS 2026 report. Its headline figures were that 113 commercial-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects are currently operational and capacity is set to exceed 100Mt/yr when projects being built are commissioned. This is across all industries though, not just cement. It also noted the emergence of transport networks, storage hubs and said that around one in three projects being tracked by the Institute are transport and storage schemes. Clearly this does not fit with two of the examples above where transport and storage infrastructure issues and supporting frameworks have been blamed for projects being wound down although the institute does have a more general perspective.

Some quick takeaways here are that CCS projects are massively expensive for cement plants, require significant government support, need suitable infrastructure and networks to move the CO2 onwards after capture, call for legislative support to enable this and are subject to a variety of market indicators, including carbon pricing. Capturing CO2 is the first part of the challenge. The second half is working out what happens next and enabling government frameworks to make it viable. Echoing this article’s theme of issues with CO2 transport infrastructure, a proposed route of CO2 pipeline in the UK’s peak district was revised in September 2026 following opposition. This network, if built, will potentially support three cement plants in the UK. Thankfully for Heidelberg Materials it will not connect to its Padeswood CCS project. To end on a more positive note, the EU Innovation Fund approved funding for a 1.1Mt/yr CCS project at Molins’ Sant Vicenç dels Horts cement plant in Barcelona this week. Enagás will be responsible for the CO₂ transport infrastructure. If governments are still serious about net zero, they may need to work on resolving the kinds of issues mentioned above that are pausing CCS projects at cement plants.


Oman: Oman Cement has appointed Jiang Ta as its CEO. He has been working as the company’s interim CEO since mid-2025, according to local media. He joined Oman Cement earlier in 2025 as its Chief Operations Officer. China-based Huaxin Cement acquired Oman Cement in 2023.


Finland: Coolbrook has appointed as Kim Hedegaard as CEO, to start in November 2026. He succeeds Lauri Peltola, who has worked as interim CEO since September 2026. He will move to the role of Chief Commercial Officer. Hedegaard previously worked as the CEO of Topsoe’s Power-to-X division since 2022. Before this, he worked for the Denmark-based company in a variety of roles since the late 1990s starting as a project manager.

Finland-based Coolbrook develops technologies to replace the use of fossil fuels in large processing industries including cement. Over the past 10 years, the company has developed the Roto Dynamic Reactor (RDR) and Roto Dynamic Heater (RDH). Both of these convert electrical power into thermal energy, in the form of high-temperature gas.


Nigeria: Dangote Cement increased its profit by 31% in the first nine months of 2026. Profit after tax rose to US$714m in the nine months to 30 September 2026, from US$538m in the same period of 2025. Revenues grew by 20% to US$2.77bn, and profit before tax increased by 42% to US$1.08bn. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased by 24% to US$1.29bn. Profit after tax for the three months to 30 September 2026 increased by 51% to US$246m and revenues increased by 16% to US$923m for the same period.

Group cement sales rose by 9% to 22.1Mt. Nigeria sold 14.1Mt, up by 6.4%, and its revenue rose by 22.5% to US$1.96bn. Exports of cement and clinker from Nigeria increased by 41.8% to 1.5Mt, including 26 clinker shipments to Ghana, Cameroon and Ivory Coast. The company’s operations in other African countries sold 9.1Mt, up by 14%, and earned US$872m in revenue. Senegal grew by 30%, Ethiopia by 19% and Tanzania by 9%, and a new grinding plant in Ivory Coast sold 0.53Mt. Sales in Ghana and Cameroon were lower.

The first phase of the company’s 6Mt/yr plant at Itori in Ogun state is on track to be commissioned in 2027, part of a plan to increase capacity to 80Mt/yr from 55Mt/yr across Africa. The company expects high single-digit sales growth for the full year.


Canada: Rodan Energy Solutions and St. Marys Cement, a subsidiary of Votorantim Cimentos North America, announced a long-term agreement for a 50MWh behind-the-meter battery energy storage system (BESS) at the company’s Bowmanville, Ontario, plant. Rodan Energy said that it will be Canada’s largest BESS installation to date. The battery system will allow the plant to reduce its grid demand during periods of peak electricity use while maintaining essential operations. It will also enable the batteries to be charged during lower-demand periods and used during high peak demand periods. Rodan Energy will develop, own and operate the asset, delivering ongoing energy optimisation through its proprietary FlexOps platform. Rodan Energy said that this project will deliver energy cost savings and strengthen the operational resiliency of the Bowmanville plant. St. Marys Cement will not pay any upfront costs and will benefit from a fully managed, long-term energy solution.

Paul Grod, president and CEO of Rodan Energy Solutions, said “This agreement is a demonstration of what behind-the-meter BESS can deliver for large industrial energy users – real economic savings, a lower emissions footprint and energy security they control. Rodan owns and operates the asset, so our performance is tied directly to delivering meaningful outcomes for our client.”


Kenya: President William Ruto has broken ground on a US$538m integrated cement manufacturing plant in Mwingi North, Kitui County, scheduled for completion in August 2027. President Ruto said that this new plant would reduce reliance on imported clinker. He later announced plans to break ground on Bamburi Cement’s expansion in Matuga, Kwale County, in approximately three weeks. This new clinker plant will have a capacity of 5000t/day. Ruto said that Kenya’s cement production increased from 8.9Mt/yr in 2024 to 10.4Mt/yr in 2025, with output reaching 7.6Mt/yr in the first eight months of 2026.


Spain: In the first nine months of 2026, Molins reported that sales reached €1.2bn, up by 65% year-on-year. It said that performance was driven by pricing discipline and the contribution from acquisitions, which offset the adverse impact of foreign exchange fluctuations, particularly in Argentina. On a like-for-like basis, excluding the impact of hyperinflation in Argentina and Türkiye, sales increased by 13%.

Earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) was €280m, up by 92% year-on-year. On a like-for-like basis, EBITDA increased by 15%, supported by pricing discipline and operational efficiency initiatives despite an inflationary environment, particularly in energy, fuel and freight costs.

At regional level, Europe delivered sales growth, supported by pricing discipline and the contribution from acquisitions, amid cost pressures. South America maintained a strong operating performance despite adverse foreign exchange impacts, while Africa operated in a ‘challenging competitive’ environment. Joint ventures continued to make a ‘significant’ contribution to the group’s results, which it said was driven by a strong performance in Mexico and positive momentum in Colombia. It said that the global environment is marked by geopolitical uncertainty and cost inflation.


Senegal: The Ministry of Environment and Ecological Transition launched a decarbonisation plan for the cement and concrete industry on 26 October 2026 in Dakar, called the ‘National Roadmap for the Decarbonisation of Cement and Concrete in Senegal’. The plan will identify priority and political measures to reduce emissions, according to the Directorate of Climate Change, Ecological Transition and Green Finance (DCCTEFV). This will strengthen monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, promote standards adapted to international best practices and consolidate collaboration between public authorities, industries and other stakeholders, according to the DCCTEFV.

The roadmap concerns several phases of the cement and concrete industry, ranging from design to production, according to the head of the DCCTEFV, Madeleine Diouf Sarr. She later said “The gradual substitution of ultra-polluting thermal processes [in the cement and concrete industry] will, on its own, prevent the emission of 3.5Mt of carbon dioxide by 2050, or 27% of the total reduction effort required of the sector.”

According to Samuel Tabane, the director in charge of industrial development at the Ministry of Industry and Trade, emissions from the cement industry amounted to 5.9Mt of carbon dioxide in 2024, adding that they could reach 13Mt/yr by 2050 in the absence of ‘immediate intervention’ by public authorities.


Vietnam: Vicem has reported pre-tax profit of US$31.5m for the first nine months of 2026. In the third quarter of 2026, it reported profit of US$11m before tax. Its clinker output rose by 8.5% year-on-year to 4.98Mt and its cement output was 6.48Mt, rising by 21% year-on-year. Nine-month clinker output was 14.2Mt and cement output for the same period was 18.6Mt, up by 15% year-on-year. The company attributed the performance to a recovering real estate market and accelerated public investment, but it warned of continued oversupply and rising production costs in the coming months.


India: Dalmia Cement has ignited the kiln at its new Belgaum plant, which started clinker production on 16 October 2026, according to Humboldt Wedag India’s managing director Ashok Dembla. The clinker line has a capacity of 10,500t/day. KHD provided two roller presses for the project. Dembla said that the plant was designed to use alternative fuels and be energy efficient.


Pakistan: Fauji Cement has released its financial results for the first quarter of the 2026 financial year, which ended on 30 September 2026. The company reported a profit after tax of US$17.9m, compared to US$11.8m in the same period of 2025. It reported net revenues of US$94m during the period.


Spain: Cement consumption in Spain reached 12.3Mt in the first nine months of 2026, representing a 3% year-on-year increase, according to the latest data from cement industry association Oficemen. Consumption in September 2026 reached 1.3Mt, which represents a decrease of 8% year-on-year. Between October 2025 and September 2026, consumption reached 17Mt, 6.5% more than in the previous corresponding period, representing an increase of 1Mt.

Oficemen CEO Elena Guede said that the sector has now experienced ‘three consecutive months of decline’ and that the 8% contraction recorded in September 2026 was ‘more pronounced’ than the organisation had anticipated. In her view, this data confirms the slowdown the sector has been observing since mid-2025.

Cement exports fell by 20% in September 2026 compared to September 2025. Likewise, the cumulative total for the first nine months of 2026 declined by 15% compared to the same period in 2025, falling below 3Mt. Between October 2025 and September 2026, exports reached 3.9Mt, 16% less than in the previous 12 months. Oficemen said that all indicators linked to the foreign market ‘continue in negative territory,’ in contrast to the growth that national consumption still maintains throughout 2026.


Russia: Soyuzcement, the Russian cement association, has introduced an initiative that prohibits the import and circulation of cement into Russia from outside the Eurasian Economic Union without labelling, according to GOST 31108-2020. The decision was based on imported cement in Makhachkala, Dagestan, which was found to be in soft containers weighing 1-2t without labelling. Cement shipments from outside the Eurasian Economic Union can cross the Russian border only if there is a valid certificate of conformity.  


Germany: Heidelberg Materials has decided to pause its GeZero project in Geseke ‘in its current form’ and to ‘further optimise’ the project setup, according to a press release from 22 October 2026. It said that, despite all efforts, the implementation of the project could not progress as planned because current framework conditions were ‘not yet sufficient’ to support a ‘robust’ business case. In particular, it said, the relevant value chains are not yet mature enough to ensure that CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure solutions will be available on time, and at an acceptable level of economic risk for the company. The decision has no direct impact on the ongoing operation of the Geseke cement plant.

Christoph Streicher, General Manager Germany, said ”The Geseke site remains of great importance to Heidelberg Materials. The current pause is a decision made after careful consideration, to successfully plan the next steps for the GeZero project in the long term under the right economic and regulatory conditions.”

Heidelberg Materials said that its current CCUS projects in Europe and North America will will be implemented first, for which the necessary conditions for a successful business case are reportedly in place.


US: CRH said that it has completed its acquisition of US-based aggregates producer Arcosa.

CRH previously announced on 22 June 2026 that it had reached an agreement to acquire Arcosa for a total value of approximately US$8.5bn.


Spain: The EU Innovation Fund has selected the Mosusol-NetCO₂ project, led by Molins in collaboration with Enagás and Linde, to receive funding under its Net-Zero Technologies call (IF25 NZT). The project aims to capture around 1Mt/yr at Molins’ Sant Vicenç dels Horts cement plant in Barcelona, or around 97% of the emissions associated with the production of clinker, with the potential to capture 100%. Molins will lead the development of the capture system at its plant; Enagás will be responsible for the CO₂ transport infrastructure; and Linde will provide the carbon capture technology and the oxygen required for the oxyfuel combustion process through an air separation unit. The initiative combines ‘advanced’ capture technologies and CO₂ transport infrastructure, with the potential to support the decarbonisation of other industrial sectors.


US: Total shipments of Portland and blended cement in the US and Puerto Rico in June 2026, including imports, were an estimated 10.1Mt, a 9.8% increase from shipments in June 2025. Shipments for the first six months of 2026 totalled an estimated 49.6Mt, a 5% increase from those for the same period in 2025. The leading destination for cement shipments by tonnage was Texas. The leading producing states for Portland and blended cement in June 2026 were, in descending order, Texas, Missouri, California, Florida and Michigan; these states accounted for 37.6% of cement produced. The leading cement-consuming States (Texas, California, Florida, Ohio, and New York, in descending order) received 37.7% of shipments in June 2026. Clinker production, excluding Puerto Rico, totalled an estimated 6.74Mt in June 2026, a 5.3% increase from that in June 2025. Production for the first six months of 2026 totalled an estimated 33.3Mt, a 6% increase from the same period in 2025. The leading clinker-producing states in June 2026 were, in descending order, Texas, Missouri, California, Florida, and Alabama.


Switzerland: Holcim’s net sale rose by 5.7% year-on-year to €13.7bn in the first nine months of 2026, from €12.9bn in the same period in 2025. Recurring earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) grew by 6.1% to €2.62bn from €2.47bn. Sales from the building materials product line increased by 1.4% to €9.66bn, but those from the building materials solution line increased by 14.1% to €5.44bn. Following these financial results, the group has upgraded its guidance for recurring EBIT in 2026.

By region sales grew by 7.7% in Europe, the group’s largest area, driven by markets in Germany, Greece, Romania, Spain and Switzerland. Sales in Latin America grew by 22%, led by markets in Mexico and Central America. Sales in Asia, Middle East & Africa fell by 5.5% in real terms but rose by 8% organically. The group sold Nigeria-based Lafarge Africa to Huaxin Cement in mid-2025.


India: UltraTech Cement has commissioned its new US$279m, 3.3Mt/yr Petnikota cement plant in Andhra Pradesh's Nandyal district. The plant will produce composite cements using ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) and fly ash. The Press Trust of India has reported that the plant has an additional 0.3Mt/yr of cement grinding capacity and is designed to be able to use 100% renewable electricity. It is equipped with a 35MW hybrid wind-solar power plant with battery storage and a 20MW waste heat recovery (WHR) system.


India: Shree Cement recorded US$1.13bn in sales in the first half of its 2027 financial year (FY 2027), which began on 1 April 2026, up by 16% year-on-year. The company’s net profit fell by 28% to US$67.7m. This was partly due to a ‘surge’ in international prices of petcoke, a major fuel source for Shree Cement. During the second quarter of FY 2027, Shree Cement’s power and fuel costs rose by 56% year-on-year, to US$172m. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell by 5% to US$101m.


India: Nuvoco Vistas Corporation reported 11% year-on-year sales growth to US$624m in the first half of India’s 2027 financial year, that started on 1 April 2026, from US$564m previously. The company grew its net profit by 33% to US$23.7m. It also noted a 9% year-on-year increase to 4.7Mt in sales volumes of cement in the second quarter.


Gabon: China-based Conch Investment Holding and Hope Global Investment have commenced construction of their upcoming US$195m, 1Mt/yr Malibé cement plant in Estuaire. The La Tribune newspaper has reported that the companies will jointly build, finance and operate the plant. It will serve Gabon’s domestic market when operational.


South Africa: Afrimat recorded sales of US$309m in the six months up to the end of August 2026, the first half of its 2027 financial year (FY 2027). This corresponds to a year-on-year decline of 4%. Alliance News has reported that the producer attributed the decline to the performance of its cement business, alongside other units. Afrimat's pretax profit fell by 48%, to US$8.36m.

In the remaining part of 2026, the producer expects its cement business to benefit from ‘increased clinker availability’ in the South African market.


Morocco: Ciments du Maroc’s audited consolidated results for the first half of 2026 have confirmed a 22% year-on-year rise in the producer’s sales, to US$274m. AllAfrica News has reported that the producer's operating profit also grew, by 16%, to US$96.6m. Nonetheless, net profit dropped by 14%, to US$52.4m. In Morocco, the domestic cement market contracted by 1% year-on-year in the first half of 2026.


Bolivia: Mexico-based GCC says it has received a settlement of US$71.5m in relation to arbitration proceedings in connection with the sale in 2011 of its stake in Sociedad Boliviana de Cemento (SOBOCE) to Consorcio Cementero del Sur. It won the settlement in November 2025. GCC said that, as a result of the execution of the settlement agreement and receipt of the payment, the dispute has been fully resolved, with no further liability for GCC. The government in Bolivia took over a stake in SOBOCE subsidiary Fábrica Nacional de Cementos (FANCESA) in 2010. GCC subsequently sold its share to Peru-based Grupo Gloria.


Bolivia: The Departmental Chamber of Construction of La Paz (CADECO La Paz) has warned of a ‘critical’ increase in the price of cement in 2025 and 2026. In a statement it reported that the cost had doubled from January 2025 to October 2026, according to the El Día newspaper. The association described the adjustment as disproportionate in relation to other costs. It is concerned that the increase will impact upon the entire construction sector.

CADECO La Paz has proposed dialogue with the cement sector and relevant government authorities to analyse the cost structure. It has also suggested setting up a working group to explore the matter with central, regional governments, suppliers and builders.


UAE: Fujairah Cement Industries (FCI) has asked its shareholders for approval at its next annual general meeting (AGM) to sell its Clinker Production Unit 1 to trading company AUM Commodities. The 4500t/day line has reportedly only been used on a campaign basis since mid-2021. It was originally built in 1982. FCI’s integrated plant at Ghob, Dibba also has a second operational 7500t/day line that was built in 2010. The company’s next AGM will be held on 16 November 2026.


UK: Supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) supplier CemBlend and clay producer Hepworth Clay have launched a calcined clay product called HepCem. The partnership will make the SCM commercially available to cement and concrete producers in the UK at scale, as well as supplying bespoke blends of the material. It has been accredited by the Construction Products Certification (CPC) scheme, confirming conformity with the standard BS 8615-1:2019+A1:2026.

CemBlend director Simon Boulter said, "We’re all about identifying innovative materials and developing the blended solutions that can bring them into mainstream construction.” He continued, "HepCem is a great example of British manufacturing innovation. It has enormous potential to help reduce carbon emissions, provide an alternative to increasingly constrained supplies of traditional SCMs and strengthen UK construction supply chains.”

HepCem’s promoters say that it can also be incorporated into ternary and quaternary blended systems alongside other constituents, including limestone, ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) and pulverised fuel ash (PFA). This flexibility opens up a wide range of potential applications, including precast and structural concrete, infrastructure projects, mass concrete and other lower-clinker systems. HepCem can also be added separately at the batching plant and used in cement-combination routes under BS 8500, including CEM II/A-Q, CEM II/B-Q and calcined-clay/limestone combinations, subject to the relevant specification requirements.

Daniel Hannappel, CEO of Hepworth Clay, said: “It’s a material engineered from purpose-selected clay under carefully controlled conditions, so producers can rely on consistent quality and predictable performance in every batch.”

CemBlend sells a portfolio of lower-carbon materials and it specialises in bespoke powder blending and the development of low-carbon and clinker-free cement solutions.


Portugal: Cimpor’s plant at Alhandra has been recognised as the oldest cement in the world to have continuous operations by Guiness World Records. The plant was originally founded in 1894 and it has remained operational ever since. In 2026 the unit has a production capacity of 2.8Mt/yr and it has 150 employees. Throughout its history, several generations of families have worked at the plant. The company says that this has contributed to its “strong relationship with the local community and to the economic and industrial development of the region.”

The cement plant become a part of Cimpor in 1976. That company and the Alhandra cement plant were acquired by Taiwan-based TCC Group in 2024.


Germany: Schneider Electric has announced a strategic collaboration with microchip designer NVIDIA and software developer HPE (Hewlett Packard Enterprise) to apply artificial intelligence in the real world in so-called ‘Physical AI.’ The companies want to bring AI closer to industrial operations by embedding the algorithms directly within the physical environments they will be deployed within. They have launched the ‘Industrial AI Agents at the Edge’ range of products as part of this process.

This includes the HPE Private Cloud AI software product that is a collaboration between HPE and NVIDIA. The companies say they are using this product with Schneider Electric’s operational technology expertise to enable organisations to securely deploy and scale AI applications in industry. They aim to allow companies to bring real-time data closer to operations while being mindful of data sovereignty, cybersecurity and AI consumption costs. Schneider Electric's EcoStruxure Industrial Insights apps can also allow customers to deploy, manage and govern multiple Industrial AI Agents through a single environment, simplifying lifecycle management, security oversight and control of operations and infrastructure. CMPC Chile has been using Schneider Electric’s OTMS over the past three years to monitor the health and availability of control systems across its continuous pulp and paper operations.

Gwenaelle Huet, Executive Vice President, Industrial Automation, Schneider Electric said “The next generation of industrial innovation will be driven by intelligence embedded directly into industrial operations." She continued, "Together with NVIDIA and HPE, we are bringing together expertise in automation, AI and edge computing to help customers transform operational data into action, improving resilience, efficiency, cybersecurity and sustainability while laying the foundation for more autonomous industrial operations."