Uzbekistan: Cement production in Uzbekistan increased by 35% year-on-year to 6.5Mt during the first four months of 2026, according to the National Statistics Committee of Uzbekistan. The country remained the largest supplier of cement to Kyrgyzstan throughout 2025 and 2026. By the end of 2025, cement imports from Uzbekistan to Kyrgyzstan had grown nearly fivefold, reaching almost 0.7Mt. This upward trend continued into the first four months of 2026, with supplies to Kyrgyzstan expanding 4.6 times year-on-year to reach 0.34Mt.

Spain: The Spanish Ministry of Industry and Tourism has awarded over €119m in funding to Votorantim Cimentos for a decarbonisation project at its cement plant in Toral de los Vados. The funding is part of the PERTE industrial decarbonisation funding programme, part of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan for 2026. In total, €518m in grants have been awarded to 17 projects over the cement, aluminium and paper sectors. The cement sector received the bulk of the funding, accounting for over €300m of the funding.

The project submitted by Votorantim is the construction of a CO₂ capture plant at its plant in the Bierzo region. However, according to Moncloa newspaper, the project is still under internal review, meaning that the allocation of these funds does not automatically guarantee its implementation. The project's budget is reportedly ‘significantly’ higher than the €119m available.

"We need to analyse all the requirements in detail to ensure we have all the necessary guarantees and technical rigour. We're talking about a project that presents a significant challenge and involves coordination with various stakeholders. We're assessing all the circumstances and will see how it all unfolds," said a spokesperson for Votorantim.

Cemex’s plant in Tarragona was awarded €200m.

"The PERTE industrial decarbonisation programme, with a public investment of €3.17bn, will allow the mobilisation of up to €11.8bn euros in total investment, increasing productivity by 10%, generating 8000 jobs and reducing CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere by 13Mt/yr," said the Ministry of Industry.

Saudi Arabia: Qassim Cement expects a fuel price adjustment to increase its operating costs by about 3%. The adjustment applies to fuel used at the company’s plants in Qassim and Hail, the company said in a statement. It said that it remains committed to mitigating the ‘financial impact’ of the price increase.  

Sweden: SaltX Technology, Holcim and Paebbl have received funding through the CET Partnership, an EU programme for energy and climate technologies. The three will jointly demonstrate an integrated concept that combines electrified cement clinker production with the circular utilisation of CO₂ across the industrial value chain. The project will be carried out at SaltX’s industrial test and research facility in Hofors, Sweden. Paebbl’s mineralisation technology permanently binds captured CO₂ into carbon-negative construction materials. Together with Holcim, the partners are developing a solution that can be implemented in both existing and future cement plants.

Lina Jorheden, CEO at SaltX Technology, said "We have already demonstrated that high-quality cement clinker can be produced through a fully electrified process. This collaboration brings together leading industrial and research partners across the value chain to demonstrate how electrification and circular carbon utilisation can be integrated at industrial scale. Together, we are laying the foundation for a new generation of cement production."

Andreas Saari, co-CEO and co-founder at Paebbl, said “The cement industry faces a dual pressure: reduce energy intensity and eliminate CO₂ emissions at the same time. This collaboration shows what it looks like when you tackle both together, electrifying the kiln and turning the captured CO₂ into a carbon-storing SCM that pushes the boundaries of carbon efficiency in the concrete mix itself. We’re thrilled to be part of an aligned consortium committed to bringing an order of magnitude better solution to the market through our joint efforts.”