Global Cement News

Spain: Votorantim Cimentos España has appointed Pablo Viedma as the director of its integrated Niebla cement company in Huelva.

Viedma joined Votorantim in 2015 as its Regional Maintenance Manager for Europe Africa and Asia. Prior to this he worked for industrial minerals company Sibelco as a Maintenance Manager. Before this he worked for Holcim España for over a decade as a Maintenance Manager. He has worked in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Turkey and Egypt. Viedma holds a degree in industrial engineering from the Universidad de Jaén.

Benelux: Ireland-based Ecocem has appointed Paul Roos as Ecocem Benelux Managing Director and Joris Schoon as Technical Developer.

Prior to this appointment, Roos was the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Commercial Director at Huntsman Corporation. At Ecocem, he will be responsible for managing Ecocem Benelux.

Schoon holds a PhD in civil engineering, specialising in concrete and environment. He holds over 20 years of industry experience. He will be based in Belgium for this role.

Turkey: Sanko Holding subsidiary Çimko Çimento has agreed to acquire several assets from Sabanci Holding subsidiary Çimsafor US$127m. The Dünya newspaper has reported that the deal covers two cement plants – the Nigde plant and Kayseri plant – the Ankara grinding plant and seven ready-mix concrete plants.

Nigeria: Finland-based Wärtsilä has extended its operation and maintenance agreement with Lafarge Africa by another five years. The agreement covers the 100MW Ewekoro power plant, which provides a dedicated supply of electricity to the company’s concrete and cement manufacturing processes. The extension of the deal was signed in July 2021 and it follows a previous 10-year agreement. The scope of the agreement includes the operating crew, performance guarantees, plant availability and spare parts.

The captive Ewekoro plant was supplied and commissioned by Wärtsilä in 2011. It consists of six Wärtsilä 50DF dual-fuel engines, operating primarily on gas, but with the flexibility to automatically switch to liquid fuel in case of a disruption to the gas supply. The engines are also designed to function efficiently with a low-pressure gas supply, a necessity given the region’s vulnerability to supply interruptions.

“We have benefited significantly from the efficient way by which Wärtsilä has operated and maintained this plant for the past 10 years, and we had no hesitation in extending the agreement for a further five years. An uninterrupted reliable supply of electricity is essential to our production, and having our own power plant, built, operated and maintained by Wärtsilä, gives us this assurance,” said Lanre Opakunle, Strategic Sourcing Director, Power & Gas, Middle East & Africa, Holcim.

Wärtsilä has also supplied Lafarge Africa with another 100MW power plant located in Mfamosing.

US: California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a bill requiring the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to develop a plan by mid-2023 for the state’s cement producers to achieve net zero emissions of greenhouse gases by the end of 2045 at the latest. A 40% reduction compared to 2019 levels would also be required by the end of 2035 with interim targets set beforehand. CARB will also be obliged to ‘define a metric for greenhouse gas intensity,’ monitor emissions data, set a baseline to measure emissions reduction progress, evaluate measures to support market demand and financial incentives to encourage the production and use of low-carbon cement amongst other actions.