Global Cement News

Cameroon: Cimpor has begun operation of a new cement plant in the industrial and port area of Kribi, Cameroon. The plant has a production capacity of 1Mt/yr. Cimpor's entry makes it the sixth active cement producer in Cameroon, nine years after the end of a 48-year monopoly held by Cimencam, a subsidiary of Lafarge Holcim Maroc Afrique (LHMA).

Cameroon's first competitor was Dangote Cement Cameroon (1.5Mt/yr), followed by Morocco's Cimaf (1.5Mt/yr with the completion of the Douala plant extension), Mira Company (1.5Mt/yr), and Medcem Cameroon, a subsidiary of Turkey's Eren Holding (0.6Mt/yr).

With Cimpor's arrival, Cameroon's annual cement production capacity reaches 8.4Mt/yr, enough to satisfy the national demand, estimated at approximately 8Mt/yr. However, Cameroonian citizens still consider the cost of a 50kg cement bag high compared to countries with similar production levels.

India: UltraTech Cement has commissioned a new brownfield 1Mt capacity at its Roorkee-based facility in Uttarakhand, contributing to its total cement manufacturing capacity in India, which now stands at 138Mt. This addition is part of the 23Mt capacity expansion plan announced in June 2022.

In the third quarter of the 2024 financial year, UltraTech Cement reported a 67% increase in consolidated net profit to US$21.3m, with revenue from operations rising by 8% year-on-year to US$201m.

Kyrgyzstan: Kant Cement has entered the construction phase of a new dry clinker production line at its Kant cement plant. The facility has a capacity of 2500t/day and aims to produce 800,000t/yr of clinker using advanced technology and automation.

The plant will both substitute for imports and export excess cement. It is expected to generate 300 new jobs.

Sweden: Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have developed a method to simplify the construction of textile-reinforced concrete structures, a move that is expected to lead to more environmentally friendly infrastructure like bridges, tunnels, and buildings. The new technique addresses the high carbon footprint of cement.

This innovation, involving carbon fibre textiles as a replacement for steel reinforcement, enables lighter structures with reduced cement usage, thereby lowering the overall carbon impact. Karin Lundgren, Professor of Concrete Structures at Chalmers Department of Architecture said "A great deal of the concrete we use today has the function to act as a protective layer to prevent the steel reinforcement from corroding. If we can use textile reinforcement instead, we can reduce cement consumption and also use less concrete, thus reducing the climate impact."

The research is detailed in a paper titled 'Textile reinforced concrete members subjected to tension, bending, and in-plane loads: Experimental study and numerical analyses', which was published in the Construction and Building Materials journal. The study, a collaborative effort between Chalmers University and Gdansk University of Technology in Poland, is supported by the Swedish Research Council.

Switzerland: ABB and Captimise have enhanced their collaboration, focusing on advancing cost-effective carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) technologies in the cement industry. Under a new Memorandum of Understanding, the partnership will develop various studies, including screening, feasibility, and FEED, aiding cement producers to identify efficient carbon capture solutions across their operations. The joint effort is expected to bolster the cement industry's efforts to meet its climate and net-zero targets.

CEO of Captimise, Mattias Jones, said “We draw on a track-record of more than 25 live case studies with CO₂ emitters across Europe and the US and know we’ll be able to support operations of all sizes in cement through combined CCUS, automation and electrification technologies.”

Global Business Unit Manager at ABB Process Industries, Max Tschurtschenthaler, said “Reducing the CO₂ emissions from cement manufacturing is a major challenge and a top priority for this industry. We are on a mission to make it more cost-effective. By combining our world-class automation, electrification and digital technologies with the know-how of partners like Captimise, we can further support the cement industry in achieving their climate and net zero targets.”