Global Cement News

Europe: PyroGenesis has signed a €815,000 contract with an undisclosed European cement industry customer to supply a plasma torch system for the electrification of a calciner. The torch will be powered using captured CO₂ in a closed-loop system, redirecting emissions from other processes to heat the kiln. The client will conduct a nine-month test as part of a multi-year initiative aimed at replacing fossil fuel combustion with electric heating in cement production, with delivery scheduled for the third quarter of 2026. The project marks a step up from earlier low-kilowatt trials to megawatt-scale testing, with the eventual goal of building a plasma-driven rotary kiln for industrial-scale calcination.

Iraq: Saman Cement has awarded a contract for the supply of a MVR 5000 R-4 vertical roller mill from Gebr. Pfeiffer for the second production line at its plant in Al Mothanna Province. The mill will grind 450t/hr of cement raw material, drying feed with 6.7% moisture to below 1%. It features a 4000kW drive and an SLS 4000 VR classifier. This follows nearly a decade of operation by a Gebr. Pfeiffer MPS 5000 B mill on the plant’s first line. Sinoma International Engineering is acting as general contractor. Commissioning is scheduled for the first half of 2027.

Morocco: Cement deliveries reached 13.7Mt in the 11 months to the end of November 2025, an 11% increase compared to 12.4Mt in the same period in 2024, according to the Ministry of National Territorial Planning, Urban Planning, Housing and Urban Policy. The growth reflects the performance of Professional Association of Cement Manufacturers (APC) members: Asment Temara, Ciments de l'Atlas, Ciments du Maroc, LafargeHolcim Maroc and Novacim. APC members delivered 1.34Mt in November 2025, up by 5% from 1.27Mt in November 2024.

The Indonesian Cement Association (ASI) has warned that cuts to the Nusantara Capital City project had reduced cement sales so far in 2025. Yet also this week the ASEAN Federation of Cement Manufacturers (AFCM) launched its 2035 AFCM Decarbonisation Roadmap. Here is a round-up of recent news from the cement sector in Indonesia.

ASI data shows that local cement sales volumes fell by 2.5% year-on-year to 51.9Mt in the first 10 months of 2025 from 53.2Mt in the same period in 2024. Cement production decreased by 5.6% to 52.9Mt. Lower demand was reported in Kalimantan and Java. However, it rose in Sumatra and Nusa, in part, due to road construction. Sadly, Sumatra has been badly affected by floods this week. National cement exports grew by over 20% to 1.1Mt. The ASI is currently hopeful that a government-backed home renovation programme might stimulate demand.

Graph 1: Domestic cement sales and exports in Indonesia, 2019 - 2025. Source: Indonesian Cement Association (ASI). Note: Figure estimated for 2025, exports include cement and clinker.

The general picture can be seen above in Graph 1. The local cement sector has generally had a capacity utilisation issue since the mid-2010s. Domestic sales started to catch up but the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the market. Meanwhile, exports of cement and clinker have been steadily rising since 2014. These are dominated by clinker exports, with the single largest destination being Bangladesh. Other major targets include Taiwan and Australia. The country’s relatively low consumption of cement per capita suggests that the utilisation rate will grow over time.

The local production market is dominated by state-owned Semen Indonesia (SIG) (with a 48.5% share), followed by Indocement (29.1%), Conch Cement Indonesia (7.1%) and Cemindo Gemilang (6.6%). SIG’s sales volumes in the first nine months of 2025 roughly follow the general trend reported by the ASI with local sales down by 1.8% year-on-year to 27.5Mt and exports up by 25.3% to 5.1Mt. The group’s sales revenue and earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) dropped by 3.8% to US$1.52bn and 23.8% to US$198m respectively. Indocement’s revenue fell by a similar rate. Both companies anticipate a modest recovery in 2026.

Something to note from SIG’s financial results and related discussions in 2025 (and earlier) has been its approach to marketing and selling its cement brands in a highly competitive environment. It says it changes its brand mix in different regional locations with varying combinations of market leaders with premium pricing and so-called ‘fighting brands’ with competitive pricing. Yet, eco-brands received a mention in addition to the other two groups in the third quarter report analysts’ discussions suggesting an appetite for potentially lower-clinker cements in a developing market such as Indonesia.

This leads to the second Indonesia-related news story of the week: the 2035 AFCM Decarbonisation Roadmap. The plan intends to reduce net CO₂ emissions from the cement sector in the region by 16% to 190Mt/yr from 228Mt/yr in 2020. 58% of this reduction will be achieved through the use of alternative fuels, 33% via the use of low-carbon cements and 9% through the use of renewable energy sources. Work towards carbon capture, utilisation and/or storage (CCUS) is starting with the aim of supporting capture pilots in the region and planning towards CO₂ transport and storage networks. Similarly, the roadmap urges producers to identify and prepare to use new secondary cementitious materials such as calcined clay and construction and demolition waste.

The race between capacity building and market share has been a familiar one in coverage of the cement market in Indonesia in recent decades. Provided the main companies can endure the competition, it looks set to continue, while demographic trends indicate the need for continued investment. Otherwise more market consolidation is to be expected when the utilisation rate dips too low. What is new though are the higher levels of blended cements and the changes this brings to the market. This can be seen above in the marketing strategy of SIG and the regional decarbonisation strategy. Similar trends are happening everywhere but the effects on a highly competitive market could be pronounced. Particularly if those government-backed schemes that the sector anticipates promote it.

The Global CemFuels Asia Conference will take place on 2 - 3 February 2026 in Bangkok

Saudi Arabia: Al-Jouf Cement has appointed Eisa bin Yeslam Ba-Eisa as its chair. He succeeds Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Faleh in the position.

Yeslam Ba-Eisa holds over 25 years of professional experience in the telecommunications, industrial, and corporate governance sectors. He is currently working as the chair of GO Telecom. He has also worked as the CEO of several companies in the cement and energy sectors. He is a member of the National Committee for Cement and the Arab Union for Cement and Building Materials.

He holds a PhD in business administration from Atlanta University, Georgia, and master's and bachelor's degrees in business administration and mining engineering from King Abdulaziz University. He is also professionally accredited as a Certified Management Consultant by the Ministry of Commerce and as an Engineering Consultant by the Saudi Council of Engineers.