Portugal: The Portuguese Cement Association (ATIC), in collaboration with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), has proposed the creation of a national carbon capture and storage infrastructure, according to the report ‘Portugal’s Carbon Link – White Paper’. The project intends to ‘save’ the competitiveness of hard-to-abate industries such as cement. It envisages a 660km onshore and 25km offshore pipeline network linking 20 industrial emitters to a geological storage site in the Lusitanian sedimentary basin. The basin has a potential capacity of 3Gt and will be capable of storing 300Mt of CO₂ over the coming decades.

The proposal will command an investment of €2bn between 2027 and 2056, GDP contribution of €14bn by 2065 and create up to 7000 jobs. Transport and storage costs will amount to around €25/t, with capture costing around €80-110/t. The study said that the final impact on construction costs would be ‘negligible’ (2-4%).

Managing director of BCG Lisbon Carlos Elavai said “The cement industry needs a viable solution by 2040,” arguing that Portugal should take advantage of the experience of other European countries to launch a pilot phase to validate the geology and regulatory framework.

India: Shree Cement commissioned a new 3.7Mt/yr clinker section at its integrated Kodla plant in Karnataka on 24 February 2026, as part of its expansion. The commissioning increased total clinker capacity at Kodla to 7.2Mt/yr.

Saudi Arabia: Riyadh Cement began pilot operations at its waste heat recovery project on 23 February 2026, following the contract signed with Sinoma Energy Conservation in November 2023. Full-scale operations will start in the second half of 2026, which the company said will reduce energy costs and emissions. The company said it will disclose project costs and updates upon final completion and noted that the project is self-financed.

Croatia: Holcim Croatia has commissioned a new calciner and chlorine bypass system, designed by A TEC. The project converted the kiln from a preheater kiln to a full in-line precalciner by integrating A TEC’s customised calciner solution into the existing process, according to a social media post by the supplier.

A TEC said the new equipment ensures stable material transport, process control and complete combustion with low emissions. The design also accommodates its Post Combustion Chamber (PCC) on the calciner top. The chlorine bypass will apply high efficiency chlorine extraction to maintain control of the chlorine cycle.