Egypt: Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport Kamel El-Wazir chaired the 37th meeting of the Ministerial Group for Industrial Development on 20 January 2026. During the meeting, the group reviewed and approved the Ministry of Industry’s plan to issue three new licences for cement plants, each with a single production line, alongside expansion projects for existing cement plants. The initiatives were endorsed in line with the government’s strategy to strengthen cement production capacity, meet domestic demand and ensure reasonable pricing. El-Wazir said that the new licences are intended to proactively address any potential increase in demand, particularly in connection with anticipated reconstruction activity in the Gaza Strip. He added that the licensed projects are expected to be completed and enter production within one year.

India: Dalmia Bharat has announced that its subsidiary Dalmia Cement (North East) has commenced commercial production on a new clinker line with a capacity of 3.6Mt/yr at Umrangso, in Dima Hasao district, Assam. Following the start-up, Dalmia Bharat’s total clinker manufacturing capacity has increased to 27.1Mt/yr. The group’s total cement grinding capacity currently stands at 49.5Mt/yr.

UK: Nuada and MLC have signed an agreement to deploy Nuada’s demonstration carbon capture unit at MLC’s Singleton Birch site in Melton Ross, North Lincolnshire. The project will assess next-generation carbon capture technology designed to address process emissions from lime production. Performance data from the demonstration will be used to inform the potential rollout of large-scale carbon capture solutions across MLC’s wider operations. Nuada says that its carbon capture system is intended for industrial sites where conventional CO₂ capture is often limited by high energy demand and integration challenges, offering lower energy consumption and a compact footprint suited to lime manufacturing.

“This demonstration at Singleton Birch builds on our relationship with MLC and is an important step towards commercially viable net zero lime production,” said Jose Casaban, co-CEO of Nuada. “Our collaboration with MLC shows how cutting-edge materials and engineering can support deep emissions reduction in one of the industrial sectors with the most untapped carbon capture potential.”

Vietnam: Vietnam Cement Corporation (Vicem) has set a target of achieving average annual growth of around 10% in domestic cement consumption over the 2026-2030 period, as part of a wider strategy to improve efficiency and strengthen competitiveness. Vicem aims to maintain its ‘core position’ in the national cement sector in line with the building materials development strategy for 2021–2030, with a vision to 2050. Based on its consumption growth targets, the group expects its domestic market share to reach 28%-30% by 2030.

During the 2021–2025 period, Vicem recorded combined cement and clinker consumption of 129Mt and revenues of US$6.28bn. For 2026, the corporation expects domestic cement consumption to reach 22.7Mt, supported by ‘stronger’ public investment, particularly in major infrastructure projects.