Global Cement News

UK: Holcim subsidiary Aggregate Industries has commenced its construction of a cement blending plant and import hub on the River Thames at the Port of Tilbury in Essex. The facility also includes units for the production of reduced-CO₂ cement components, including ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) and construction demolition waste (CDW)-based materials. The Tilbury site has five loading heads and will help Aggregate Industries to maintain its continuous supply of conventional, reduced-CO₂ and circular cementitious materials to London and South East England.

Chief executive officer Dragan Maksimovic said “This important investment will further strengthen our position in the market, allowing us to drive our sustainability ambitions and lead the way in low carbon and circular building materials. The London and South East construction market has major regional projects on the horizon, and we are primed and ready to meet the region’s rising demand for sustainable solutions.”

Steve Curley, managing director cement, added “Our ECOPlanet range of green cement was recently added to our green offering. By investing in this impressive facility within the Port of Tilbury, we will truly boost our sustainable offering and be more agile and efficient in the way we manufacture, transport and supply our products across this region.”

India: Adani Group announced planned investments of US$204m in its cement operations in the state of Uttarakhand. The Business Standard newspaper has reported that the investments are made up of US$36m in an expansion to more than double the capacity of Ambuja Cement’s Roorkee grinding plant to 3Mt/yr and US$168m in the construction of a new 4Mt/yr grinding plant.

India: Sweden-based SaltX Technology has partnered with Dalmia Cement (Bharat) to launch a pilot trial of fuel-free cement production using its electric arc calciner (EAC) in 2024. The pilot plant will be situated at Dalmia Cement (Bharat)’s Rajganga Nagpur cement plant in Odisha. Pre-study work, including material tests at SaltX Technology's test and research centre in Hofors, Sweden, will commence in early 2024.

Dalmia Cement (Bharat) managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) Mahendra Singhi said "In line with our ambition to further reduce our carbon footprint, we are delighted to collaborate with SaltX, a leading innovator with electrification and carbon capture technology that has great potential to play a decisive role in our intense work to reduce our carbon emissions."

SaltX Technology CEO Carl-Johan Linér said "I am pleased to confirm that we have now started working together on-site for the upcoming pilot in India. We have met all key individuals in the project and look forward with confidence to starting the pre-study next year."

UAE/UK: The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has launched Innovandi Entrepreneur Network. The network will connect low-CO₂ technology developers with GCCA members to work towards the decarbonisation of the global cement sector.

GCCA CEO Thomas Guillot said “Innovation can help unlock our net zero future. We recognise the vital role start-ups play in that transition and very much hope start-ups will join our entrepreneur network. Only by working together and through collaboration will we achieve our shared goals.”

Ryan Gilliam, CEO of US-based alternative cement developer Fortera, said “Thank you to the GCCA for providing a platform that brings like-minded companies together to collaborate on a net zero mission to produce cement. Fortera is honoured to be one of the first companies to join GCCA’s Innovandi Entrepreneur Network, to work in concert with our industry partners to tackle this global initiative.”

China/India: Research organisation Fitch Ratings has forecast continued ‘steady’ growth of 6 – 8% year-on-year in cement demand in India in 2024. Meanwhile, it expects demand in China to remain ‘weak,’ amid low activity levels in the residential construction sector. Nonetheless, Fitch Ratings said that rising installed cement capacity will limit growth in producers’ profit margins in India, while producers’ profit margins will stabilise in China.