Nigeria: The Bauchi State government has approved a US$7.9m road project to support the development of the Gwana cement plant in Alkaleri. 10,000 people will be employed in the construction of the plant before it commences production in the next two years, according to Leadership News. Feasibility studies for the plant have reached an advanced stage for the location of the plant by Resident Cement Company.

The plant will generate 100MW of electricity for the plant from coal, with surplus power supplied to nearby communities.

US: Continental Cement Company will pay a US$74,440 civil penalty and spend at least US$282,000 to procure low-emission buses for a local school district as part of a settlement following alleged Clean Air Act violations. The replacement propane buses will reduce air pollution in areas impacted by excess emissions from Continental Cement’s operations.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), it identified inadequate operation of leak detection systems during a December 2022 inspection, which are designed to notify the company of potential hazardous emissions. Without a functioning leak detection system, the facility would be unaware of whether pollutant filters are operating effectively to reduce emissions of particulate matter and other air pollutants.

India: Cement companies are expected to report weak financial results for the December quarter of the 2025 financial year due to lower demand, suppressed by reduced government infrastructure spending and weak private capital expenditure, according to The Hindu Businessline.

Large players, including UltraTech Cement and Ambuja Cements, are expected to lead demand growth by 8% year-on-year in the December quarter, but earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) may decline by 18%. Efforts to increase prices in October and November 2024 were rolled back, and a mid-December increase reportedly failed to boost profits.

Parvez Qazi, research analyst at Nuvama Research, said “We expect further consolidation in the space mostly in the southern region due to its fragmented nature. Softening fuel prices, along with cost efficiency measures undertaken by various players, are likely to provide some relief on the cost front, thereby cushioning the impact of weak realisations to some extent.”

Czech Republic: Wikov Gear has announced its name change to Wikov TurboGear, with the company stating that the new name reflects its core business of development, design and manufacturing of high-speed gearboxes for industrial and energy applications.

The company’s repair and refurbishment operations will now operate under a new division, Wikov GearServices.