India: The government has published plans for a new broad-gauge double railway line in Rajasthan. The planned line will connect Jaipur and Sawai Madhopur, and will facilitate the transport of coal to businesses including cement plants. Maritime Gateway News has reported that the new line will increase carrying capacity in the local railway maintenance block by 80%. It is scheduled for commissioning in the 2027 financial year.

India: ACC’s Jamul, Thondebhavi and Tikaria cement plants have won safety prizes at the National Safety Council of India (NSCI)’s Safety, Health and Environment Convention (SHECON) 2023. Press in attendance reported that the 1.6Mt/yr Thondebhavi plant in Karnataka won a safety award and a bronze trophy for implementation of its occupational safety and health (OSH) plan. Meanwhile, the 1.6Mt/yr Jamul plant in Chhattisgarh won a letter of commendation and the 3Mt/yr Tikaria grinding plant in Uttar Pradesh won a certificate of recognition.

Adani Group’s cement business CEO Ajay Kapur said "We are honoured to have been recognised by the NSCI with three prestigious awards for our commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of our employees, and we are proud to be recognised for our efforts. With a strong emphasis on occupational health and safety, we have a robust safety management system in place."

New Zealand: Cement producer and construction firm Fletcher Building has reported a 20% year-on-year drop in domestic housing demand during the first quarter of 2023. The Australian newspaper has reported that the company attributed the decline to ‘soaring’ interest rates in the country. It now expects to sell 800 residential units in 2023, 20% below its previous expectation of 1000 units. Fletcher Building said that building materials costs rose by 5 – 10% between 2020 and 2022, due to ‘higher input and commodity costs’ in production.

CEO Ross Taylor said that Fletcher Building faces labour shortages in its civil construction business, but maintained a strong order pipeline. Taylor said “It won’t drive an uptick in volumes but it will underpin the volumes in the next three to four years.”

Oman: China-based Huaxin Cement completed its acquisition of a 60% stake in Oman Cement on 5 April 2023. That the group completed the transaction via a Abra Holdings, a wholly-owned subsidiary incorporated in Mauritius. In a submission to the Hong Kong Exchange, Huaxin Cement stated the estimated purchase price for the stake as US$193m.

Oman Cement operates the 4.2Mt/yr Rusayl cement plant in Muscat Governorate. The producer was in talks with possible contractors for an upgrade to the plant’s existing production lines and the construction of a new 10,000t/day Line 4 in March 2023.