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Colombia: Cementos Argos has set up a subsidiary, Granulados Reciclados de Colombia (Greco), to recycle construction material waste. The new company’s operations will be based at its Cota plant in Cundinamarca, according to La Republica newspaper. The operation is expected to process over 1Mt/yr of construction waste material. The company is a joint operation with local industrial conglomerate Fanalca and South Korean lighting equipment manufacturer Daeyang.
Eric Olsen placed under formal investigation in Lafarge Syria probe 08 December 2017
France: Eric Olsen, the former chief executive officer (CEO) of LafargeHolcim, has been placed under formal investigation as part of an inquiry into the company’s conduct in Syria, according to a source quoted by Reuters. He has also been placed under judicial supervision. Olsen had previously been questioned along with Bruno Lafont, the former CEO of Lafarge, and Christian Herraul, the former deputy managing director for operations.
Olsen was the head of human relations during the period the probe is covering. LafargeHolcim’s predecessor company Lafarge Syria allegedly paid terrorist groups in Syria to allow a cement plant to continue operating during the Syrian civil war. Olsen later became the CEO of LafargeHolcim when Lafarge merged with Holcim in 2015. However, he resigned in April 2017 following an internal review of the situation. At this time he said that his decision was motivated by his desire to draw a line under the affair. He added that he was ‘absolutely’ not involved in the case and had been unaware of any wrongdoing.
Huaxin Cement preparing to build cement plant in Nepal 08 December 2017
Nepal: Huaxin Cement is in discussions with the Investment Board Nepal (IBN) to build a cement plant. The Chinese cement producer is considering investing US$140m towards a project investment agreement (PIA), according to the Kathmandu Post newspaper. Obtaining a PIA will allow the company to work with the Nepalese government on the project.
The announcement follows a US$359m PIA with Hongshi-Shivam Cement that was signed in September 2017 for a cement plant at Sardi in Nawalparasi. The 6000t/day plant is scheduled to start commercial production in May 2018.
CRH stops bid for PPC 07 December 2017
South Africa: PPC says that Ireland’s CRH has formally decided not to continue in a bid for it. The Irish building materials company made a non-binding expression of interest in mid-November 2017. It then had time to conduct due diligence before submitting an updated bid. PPC is still dealing with offers from Fairfax Africa Investments and LafargeHolcim.
Canada: The Cement Association of Canada has supported emission reduction schemes in Alberta and Ontario. The Albertan provincial government has released its overarching policy framework for the Output-based Allocation System and the Ontario government has run its fourth and final cap and trade auction before formally linking with California and Quebec in 2018.
The introduction of an Output-based Allocations (OBA) System in January 2018 will transition Alberta’s regulated facilities from the current Specified Gas Emitters Regulation (SGER). The OBA will set an industry specific performance benchmark for emissions-intensive, trade-exposed industries (EITEs), which includes the province’s two cement plants, Lafarge in Exshaw and Lehigh in Edmonton. The benchmark combined with output-based allocations is intended to drive best-in-class performance while maintaining the competitiveness of industries in Alberta.
Ontario raised US$330m bringing total proceeds from the system to date to around US$1.5bn. The proceeds are to be reinvested into initiatives that will further reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“From the cement industry’s perspective, the framework demonstrates that the Alberta government understands the pressures EITE industries face to remain competitive in the global market. Climate change is the single most important issue facing our society today and Alberta’s Climate Leadership Plan lays the foundation for industries to play a major role in assisting government in meeting its 2030 targets and transitioning to a low carbon economy,” said Michael McSweeney, President and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Cement Association of Canada.
With respect to Ontario he added that the Canadian cement industry believes that cap and trade systems are the most effective means of delivering environmental results while putting a price on carbon. “Linkage with California and Quebec is also an important feature of the Ontario system: the broader the market, the more likely it will be that price will reflect the true incremental cost of reducing emission,” said McSweeney.