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Egyptian NCCD to build own cement plant 17 October 2014
Egypt: Egypt's National Company for Construction and Development (NCCD) plans to build its own cement plant as the price of locally-produced cement is high, according to NCCD's chairman Mahmoud Hegazy. The new plant will cover the cement requirements of NCCD's subsidiaries. The state-run firm is currently evaluating the best timing for the project.
NTPC’s power plant sets up bagging machines for fly-ash 16 October 2014
India: In response to local concerns over the open-filling of fly-ash, an NTPC-owned thermal power plant in Kahalgaon, Bihar will install bagging machines for its fly-ash production. The facility provides fly-ash to cement makers in the northeast and is setting up six packing machines filling a total of 4800bags/hr or 4000t/day. The facility had been warned by the pollution control board, which has asked NTPC to deposit US$16,243 as security against the prescribed environmental measures. The board has said that the plant will be closed if it continues to violate the 'norms' by open-filling the sacks.
Cemex opens 1.5MW solar plant in San Pedro de Macoris 16 October 2014
Dominican Republic: Cemex has launched operations at a 1.5MW solar energy complex in the Dominican Republic in line with its commitment to sustainability. The facility will supply 2.2MkWhr/yr of energy to Cemex's cement plant in San Pedro de Macoris. It features 5040 panels with high-tech inverters. It is the first solar power plant owned by Cemex in the Caribbean. The company aims to continue to invest in sustainable energy solutions, such as marine and wind power.
Angola quietly builds up the pace in cement production
Written by David Perilli, Global Cement
15 October 2014
Angola made similar noises to Nigeria this week when one of its government ministers declared that the country was self-sufficient in terms of cement production. The comments came from Industry minister Bernarda Martins at a visit by the Angolan president to the China International Fund Luanda Cement plant. Martins' words echoed those made by Joseph Makoju, Chairman of the Cement Manufacturing Association of Nigeria, who declared that his country was making more cement than it consumed back in 2012.
Claims of self-sufficiency are all about context. A major or fast growing economy such as Nigeria declaring self-sufficiency in cement could suggest a potential paradigm shift. A smaller economy might simply have risen from a low production base to a slightly higher one with little consequence. So what does this mean for Angola?
The southern African country has a population far smaller than Nigeria at 19 million. Yet, its gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, in purchasing power parity terms, was estimated to be US$6484 in 2014 by the International Monetary Fund, a figure slightly higher than Nigeria's. In nominal terms its GDP was the fifth biggest in Africa in 2013.
Global Cement Directory 2015 research (to be published in late 2014) gives Angola's four integrated cement plants with a total cement production capacity of just under 6Mt/yr. The plant the politicians have just visited has reportedly just increased its clinker capacity to 3.6Mt/yr and another 0.6Mt/yr capacity is planned to join the market when an InterCement plant expands in 2017. Together this places the country's production at around 8Mt/yr. Domestic cement demand was placed at 6.5Mt/yr in early 2014 giving the country a cement consumption of just under 350kg/capita.
Transnational African bank Ecobank declared than Angola was becoming Central Africa's cement production hub in a commodities report in July 2014. Out of the sub-Saharan countries it has become the fourth largest producer after Nigeria, South Africa and Ethiopia and the third largest consumer after Nigeria and South Africa. Angola too has restricted cement imports, like Nigeria. In 2014 the Ministry of the Economy, Industry, Commerce and Construction implemented a stoppage on imports in a phased manner under the auspices of its local cement association, the Association of Industrial Cement of Angola.
Where Angola is different to Nigeria is in the composition of the companies that produce its cement. There is no large local presence to rival Nigeria's Dangote. The former colonial links are there with a plant operated by Brazil's InterCement, who inheritied it from Portuguese company Cimpor. Of the rest, Chinese and South Korean investors figure prominently.
Finally, it is also worth noting that Angola has none of the main sub-Saharan players present including Dangote, PPC or Lafarge Africa. Roughly half-way between the African cement powerhouses of Nigeria and South Africa and with a handy coastline, Angola deserves further attention.
Shree Cement to consider importing Indonesian coal 15 October 2014
India: Shree Cement is considering importing coal from Indonesia in 2015. The Indian cement producer is in talks with Indonesian mines, according to a report by India Coal Market Watch. The report said that Shree Cement had purchased around 1.5Mt of US steam coal in 2013 – 14. Part of this allocation was re-sold by the company to brick kiln-makers in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. Shree Cement is believed to have secured its steam coal and pet coke requirements until December 2014.