Global Cement News

Mexico: Holcim México will invest US$55m in the construction of a new cement mill at its Macuspana plant in Tabasco state. The producer says that the mill will increase the plant's cement capacity by 50% to 1.5Mt/yr. This will lead to an increase in the plant’s total workforce to 300 people.

General director Jaime Hill said "This investment in Tabasco reflects our firm conviction in the potential of the Mexican southeast and our commitment to the sustainable development of the region. Through this expansion, we will not only increase our capacity to supply the states of Tabasco, Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo, but also reinforce our role in the decarbonisation of the construction industry, offering low-emission products like our cements from the ECOPlanet range."

India: JK Lakshmi Cement has acquired an 85% stake in Agrani Cement. The value of the deal is US$39.2m. Agrani Cement was established in Kolkata, West Bengal in 2022.

India: Protestors from Bilaspur District have opposed the transfer of water from the Ali Khad stream to Ambuja Cements’ Darlaghat cement plant in neighbouring Solan District. A group of local farmers and village officials have successfully suspended water transfer to the plant from the stream at Trivenighat. The Times of India newspaper has reported that the Darlaghat plant will draw an estimated 1Ml/day of water from the Ali Khad stream. Protestors say that this would be enough to dry the stream, turning the area in Himachal Pradesh into a ‘desert.’ The Ali Khad stream currently waters 24 wells and seven irrigation networks, upon which 50,000 people depend.

Colombia: Cementos Argos has partnered with Ecopetrol, EAFIT and the University of Antioquia to develop a method of carbon capture using microalgae that also produces useable biomass. The partners will process this biomass into biocrude, with similar properties to fuel oil.

Cementos Argos’ project leader Gabriel Vargas said, “In microalgae we found a potential alternative, but this involved developing a technology for microorganisms to eat CO₂ and grow from there. Then, looking for what we could use that biological material for, we saw an opportunity in biofuels. That's when, with the help of the PQI research group at the University of Antioquia, which had already been carrying out studies on the hydrothermal liquefaction of biomass, we began to refine that process.”

Mali: Morocco-based Ciments de l'Afrique (CIMAF) has held a ceremony marking the laying of the first stone of a new 1Mt/yr cement plant it is building at Natien in Sikasso region. The project has a budget of around US$50m and is intended to be expandable to 2Mt/yr should the market need arise, according to La Nouvelle Tribune newspaper. Cement produced at the plant will be sold domestically and exported. Commissioning is scheduled for early 2026. Moussa Alassane Diallo, Minister of Industry and Commerce, attended the event in addition to members of the National Transition Council, the governor of Sikasso region and, Malick Sefrioui, the Vice President of CIMAF.