Global Cement News

India: Dalmia Bharat says that it will complete its acquisition of Jaiprakash Associates’ cement business, Jaypee Cement, towards the end of the 2024 financial year on 31 March 2024. Informist EquityWire News has reported that the deal is ‘taking more time’ than expected to conclude.

Jaypee Cement’s Madhya Pradesh-based subsidiary Jaybee Bhilai Cement is subject to an on-going shareholder dispute, due to which a court has frozen the company’s 74% shareholding in the unit.

China: China Resources Building Materials Technology (CRMBT) has issued a profit warning for the first nine months of 2023. The producer expects the profit attributable to its owners to drop by 59 – 63% year-on-year. This is partly due to its previous one-off gain from a divestment worth US$239m in the corresponding period in 2022.

Afghanistan: Qatar-based Al-Falah Global and International Task Group has won a government contract to expand Jabal Siraj cement plant. Local engineering firm Awfi Bahram will also collaborate on the project. BBC Monitoring South Asia has reported that the work will increase the plant’s capacity by a factor of 50 to 1.5Mt/yr from 30,000t/yr. The total cost of the project is US$220m.

Ghana: CIMPOR has appointed Germany-based ThyssenKrupp Polysius to build a 1280t/day flash activator for clay. The activator will supply calcined clay for use in the production of cement with a clinker factor as low as 50%. This can reduce the cement’s CO₂ emissions by 40% compared with ordinary Portland cement (OPC). The supplier’s contract covers engineering, supply of core equipment and supervision of the project. The equipment includes parts for clay handling, a hammer mill, a flash dryer and preheating and cooling equipment, as well as storage silos. The activator will be natural gas-fired.

Polysius Activated Clay product owner Leo Fit said "Our technology is not only more environmentally friendly, but also creates cost benefits for our customers like CIMPOR. In many regions, limestone is scarce and clinker has to be imported at high cost. At the same time, suitable clay sources are available. The increasing pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is leading cement manufacturers to rethink. They need an alternative that is cost-efficient and at the same time provides high-quality cement. This is exactly what Polysius activated clay offers."

India: Adani Group has entered into a US$3.7bn refinance agreement with multiple banks to refinance the loan it took to acquire Holcim’s Indian business. Live Mint News has reported that the consortium of banks includes Deutsche Bank, Standard Chartered, Barclays, Citibank, MUFG Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. Sources ‘with direct knowledge of the matter’ reported that the refinance agreement will have a tenure of 36 months.