Global Cement News
Search Cement News
Fire reported at Djebel El Ouest cement plant 17 July 2017
Tunisia: Fire fighters have controlled a fire that broke out at the Djebel El Ouest cement plant. The fire started on the ground floor of the plant, according to Tunis Afrique Presse. It then damaged electrical cabling and equipment. It is suspected to have been caused by a short circuit in an electrical machine caused by rising temperatures. No casualties have been reported.
India: JSW Cement has released its first commercial product from its 2.4Mt/yr Salboni plant in West Bengal, 18 months after construction work began at the site. The first load of cement was sent on a truck to a client in nearby Tarapith. JSW Cement’s director Biswadip Gupta said that it was one of the fastest greenfield cement plant projects in India in recent years. “We have not lost a single man-day during the construction of the project,” he added.
However, those that have been forced from their land to allow for the construction of the plant remain unhappy that the project has gone ahead, with the secretary of the JSW Landlosers’ Welfare Association Pariskar Mahato stating that they had not even received an invitation to the inauguration event. He added, “There is resentment among land losers. We should get jobs in the project, but the management is recruiting people from outside.”
Oman Cement reports on first half of 2017 14 July 2017
Oman: Oman Cement has announced that its net profit after tax for the first half of 2017 was US$13m, a fall of 27% year-on-year compared to the same period of 2016 when it made US$17.7m. Its sales for the first half were US$76.4m, a smaller fall of just 2.3% compared to the first half of 2016, when sales were US$78.2m. This is indicative of higher input costs for the company.
Hima to supply big Chinese projects in Uganda 14 July 2017
Uganda: Lafarge’s subsidiary in Uganda, Hima Cement, will provide raw materials for the ongoing infrastructure projects being undertaken by China Communications Construction Company Limited in the country under a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Allan Ssemakula, the commercial director at Hima Cement said the firm will supply 30,000t of cement to the Entebbe Airport expansion project for a period of five years, 60,000t for the Mubende-Kakumiro-Kagadi road and 30,000t for the Soroti-Moroto road project for a period of three years.
“Hima Cement’s clients benefit from the technical expertise and product innovation that are the hallmark of LafargeHolcim Group. This Memorandum of Understanding is testament to our diverse product offerings and also avails solutions that fit the unique needs of our clients,” said Ssemakula.
Spain: The Spanish cement makers association Oficemen says that cement consumption grew by 11% year-on-year to 4.9Mt in the first five months of 2017. It attributed the rise to increased residential housing construction. The association forecasts that, if the growth continues, the consumption may reach 12.3Mt in 2017, the strongest figure since 2012.
However, exports have fallen by 7.6% to 3.76Mt. Oficemen said that this decline has reduced the benefit of improvements in the domestic market and kept production capacity levels of 50% at cement plants. It also raised recent increases in electricity costs as cutting the competiveness of the industry’s exports.