Global Cement News

US: Panamint Valley Limestone (PVL) plans to build a US$45m lime plant at Trona in California. The site and air emissions credits have been acquired, the conditional use permit process has started, and studies and preliminary engineering have been initiated. Lime production is scheduled to start in early 2021.

The PVL Lime plant will be located on a brownfield site northwest of the existing Searles Valley Minerals and ACE Cogeneration industrial facilities. Limestone will be sourced from the company’s quarry in the Panamint Valley. The unit will produce 400t/day of quick lime and hydrated lime products for use in cement, soil conditioning, water treatment and industrial processes.

PVL says that its new plant will be the only producer of lime in California, where currently all lime used is imported from outside of state. The plant is expected to create 30 to 40 new jobs.

Ethiopia: Deep Kamara, the country manager of Dangote Cement Ethiopia, has been shot dead in an attack by unknown assailants. A driver and a secretary were also killed in the incident, according to the Addis Standard newspaper. The attack took place at Inchini, near to the cement producer’s Mugher plant.

A local government source that spoke to the newspaper said that Kamara had recently visited the plant as part of discussions between the company and local residents. Oromio state suffered riots in 2016 and 2017 with damage incurred to Dangote Cement’s plant on several occasions.

India: Birla Corporation has overcome sand supply issues to see its sales and cement volumes rise in its financial year to the end of March 2018. The group overcame a restriction on sand mining in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in the first nine months of the year, according to the United News of India. Its sales revenue grew by 19% year-on-year to US$878m from US$736m. Its cement sales volumes rose by 23% to 12.4Mt from 10Mt. Earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 14% to US$128m from US$113m.

Philippines: Denmark’s FLSmidth has won mill orders from San Miguel Northern Cement, Ionic Cementworks Industries and Oro Cemento Industries Corporation. It will supply four OK 56-4 vertical roller mills for cement grinding for the clients at different locations in the country. In addition FLSmidth will also deliver planetary mill gear units and air pollution control filters. The mills are expected to be installed by mid-2019. No value for the orders has been disclosed.

South Africa: Gebr. Pfeiffer has started installing a MVR 3750 C-4 mill for a joint venture between Osho Cement and HeidelbergCement that is building a cement grinding plant at Port Elizabeth. The deal was agreed in 2017 and TCDRI is the general contractor. It is Gebr. Pfeiffer’s first MVR mill in the country.

The new mill will be grinding 110t/hr of Ordinary Portland Cement (CEM I) to a fineness of 3500cm²/g Blaine and 80t/hr of blast-furnace cement (CEM III-A) to 4500cm²/g Blaine. A SLS 3750 BC classifier with high-precision cut will be mounted on top of the mill. The mill will have an installed power of 2600kW. It is intended to start operation later in 2018.