India: Humboldt Wedag has overseen the pouring of 109,000m³ of reinforced concrete at the Goldcrest greenfield integrated cement plant over the past 14 months, with major civil work on process buildings and clinker production due to complete by 15 September 2026, with 3000m³ remaining. Mechanical erection is due to be completed by November 2026 and cement grinding is scheduled for February 2027, according to a LinkedIn post by Ashok Dembla from Humboldt Wedag. Global Cement previously reported in May 2025 that the plant will have a cement capacity of 4.5Mt/yr and a clinker capacity of 3.5Mt/yr. Humboldt Wedag India was appointed engineering, procurement and construction contractor and targets completion by March 2027.

US: Mafix, a startup that turns abundant minerals into carbon-negative silicon-based fertilisers and other mineral products, announced that it has raised US5.4m in pre-seed funding. The company said that due to a decrease in global demand for clinker, roughly 30% of global cement kiln capacity is sitting idle. By partnering with cement producers to utilise spare capacity on kilns, Mafix’s process reportedly eliminates the need for new facilities to produce the fertilisers and provides access to existing logistical hubs for efficient delivery.

"Mafix's silicon fertiliser is designed to improve soil health and agricultural productivity while delivering a scalable solution for permanent CO₂ removal, addressing two critical global challenges with a single technology,” said Jillian Chase at Azolla Ventures, which led the funding round. “Its use of existing cement infrastructure for manufacturing means it can scale quickly to address farmers’ immediate needs while the Mafix team develop additional products via their mineral transformation technology.”

France: Minerals producer Omya has partnered with Lafarge France (part of Holcim) to support the development of low-carbon cement and concrete solutions. The collaboration is effective from 1 October 2026 and brings together technical expertise and local production capabilities to lower environmental impact. Omya reported on 9 April 2026 that it was in preliminary discussions regarding a partnership with the company and had initiated a consultation process.

El Salvador: Cement imports in El Salvador have reached their highest level in three decades during the first half of 2026, according to local press, which cited the latest data from the Central Reserve Bank. The volume of purchases during this period reached 389,330t, an increase of 35% year-on-year, the largest volume recorded since 1994. China emerged as the leading supplier, representing 26% of the total, followed by Vietnam, Honduras and Guatemala.