Taiwan/Ukraine: The board of directors of Taiwan-based TCC Group Holdings has authorised its Dutch subsidiary to acquire a 100% share in Ivano-Frankivskcement (IFCEM), Ukraine's second-largest cement producer, and three related building materials firms for value of €750m. IFCEM holds a 36% market share in Ukraine and has reportedly maintained uninterrupted production and sales throughout Russia's war on Ukraine. The transaction remains subject to regulatory approvals from Taiwan, Ukraine and other jurisdictions.

TCC said that it is hoping to extend its European cement operations from Southern and Western Europe into Eastern Europe and position itself to participate in Ukraine's long-term reconstruction once the war ends.

UK: Hepworth Clay has achieved independent certification for its HepCem calcined clay, confirming conformity with BS 8615-1:2019 and A1:2026 for use as a pozzolanic material with Portland cement. The certification was awarded by Construction Products Certification (CPC) and applies to calcined clay manufactured at its Crow Edge manufacturing site in Sheffield. Hepworth said that HepCem gives cement and concrete producers a reliable, UK-manufactured alternative to clinker.

CEO Daniel Hannappel said "Achieving certification to BS 8615-1 is a significant milestone for HepCem and gives our customers independent assurance around both the product and the controls behind its manufacture. We have decades of experience working with clay materials and calcination, and HepCem allows us to apply that expertise to one of the most important challenges facing the construction industry: reducing the embodied carbon associated with cement and concrete.

The company said that it is now ready to work with cement and concrete producers that may be looking to evaluate calcined clay within lower-clinker cement formulations.

Pakistan: Fauji Cement’s board of directors has approved the installation of battery energy storage systems (BESS) with a total capacity of 50MWh, alongside 10MW of solar power capacity, at its Nizampur and Jhang Bahtar plants. The company said that the project would be completed within 10 months from its start date.

World: Cambodia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda have each signed up to the Intergovernmental Council for Buildings and Climate's initiative (ICBCI), a coalition of governments that support lower-carbon blended cement. This means that 12 governments, which also include Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Kenya, Luxembourg and New Zealand, now back the ICBCI. Participating countries must commit to prioritising blended cement in public procurement and updating national standards, as national governments are often the most significant users of cement and concrete, helping to drive decarbonisation across the whole sector.