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EPA sets national coal ash regulations for US 22 December 2014
US: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the first national regulations to provide for the safe disposal of coal ash from coal-fired power plants. The ruling establishes safeguards to protect communities from coal ash impoundment failures and establishes safeguards to prevent groundwater contamination and air emissions from coal ash disposal.
"The EPA is taking action to protect our communities from the risk of mismanaged coal ash disposal units and putting in place safeguards to help prevent the next catastrophic coal ash impoundment failure, which can cost millions for local businesses, communities and States," said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy.
The new federal regulations include:
- The closure of surface impoundments and landfills that fail to meet engineering and structural standards and will no longer receive coal ash;
- Reducing the risk of catastrophic failure by requiring regular inspections of the structural safety of surface impoundments;
- Restrictions on the location of new surface impoundments and landfills so that they cannot be built in sensitive areas such as wetlands and earthquake zones;
- Protecting groundwater by requiring monitoring, immediate clean up of contamination and closure of unlined surface impoundments that are polluting groundwater;
- Protecting communities using fugitive dust controls to reduce windblown coal ash dust;
- Requiring liner barriers for new units and proper closure of surface impoundments and landfills that will no longer receive coal combustion residues.
In response to feedback on the proposal, the ruling clarifies the technical requirements for coal ash landfills and surface impoundments under Subtitle D of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the country's primary law for regulating solid waste. Implementation of the technical requirements will be reported through disclosure to States, and communities. Examples of this include power plants providing information to the public and States and new transparency requirements, including recordkeeping and reporting requirements, as well as the requirement for each facility to post specific information to a publicly-accessible website. This final rule also supports the responsible recycling of coal ash by distinguishing safe, beneficial use from disposal.
Workers on Russian Holcim project strike over pay 19 December 2014
Russia: The workers of the Granit company, which is involved in construction of a new line at the Holcim cement plant in Saratov, Volga Federal District, conducted a one-day strike on 18 December 2014. Their actions were due to a disagreement caused by overdue salaries.
Cemex continues Central American building spree 19 December 2014
Costa Rica: Cemex, has announced that its subsidiary, Cemex Latam Holdings, will invest US$35m over the next three years to increase the capacity of its plant in Colorado, Costa Rica. The news comes only a few days after the firm announced the resumption of a capacity upgrade at its Tepeaca plant in Mexico.
The project in Costa Rica will increase cement production capacity at the Colorado plant by about 25% and also includes construction of a new grinding mill. By 2017, the plant will have the capacity to produce 1.1Mt/yr of cement.
"We are confident that infrastructure projects will continue driving demand for building materials over the medium-term," said Alejandro Ramirez, director of Cemex Latam Holdings in Costa Rica.
Angola bans cement imports from start of 2015 19 December 2014
Angola: The Angolan government has banned the importation of cement as of 1 January 2015, saying that there is adequate local production to meet national demand.
"Due to the investments made by various companies, the installed cement production capacity in Angola is 8Mt/yr. Demand is around 6.5Mt/yr," said Minister Waldemar Alexandre Pires. He added that the ban was imposed after consultation with the country's Cement Sector Commission, coordinated by the Ministry of Construction and the Ministries of Trade, Industry and the Economy.
The Angola cement market has enjoyed four years of double-digit growth on the back of the country's economic recovery. This follows the end of a 30-year civil war in 2002. The short-term outlook is positive, with continued market growth and capacity building, encouraging more players to venture into the burgeoning market. The majority of domestic cement consumption is located in the more densely populated western provinces. So far the government claims to have spent over US$1bn on reconstruction since the end of the war.
A resumption of construction activities in and around the capital of Luanda, where the government has pushed ahead with a range of new construction projects including a number of much-needed housing schemes for the city's expanding population, has been the main drivers of the cement consumption in the southern African nation.
HeidelbergCement reopens Ukrainian cement plant 18 December 2014
Ukraine: HeidelbergCement has reopened its plant in eastern Ukraine a month after shutting it. Separatists in the region wanted to impose their own agenda on the production process, the company said in November 2014. The situation has now changed and HeidelbergCement is about to sign a contact with a new security firm, according to CEO Bernd Scheifele. The re-launch of the production process was closely coordinated with the Foreign Office.
The conflict in Ukraine has led to serious infrastructure damage and thus the demand for building materials is high, according to Scheifele. The plant's capacity is 2Mt/yr of cement. The company generates Euro150m of revenue with its three Ukrainian sites, or a share of 1% of the total revenues. In 2014, however, turnover slipped by 30% due to the conflict.