US: Ash Grove Cement and the Nebraska Department of Transportation have tested a  calcined clay blended cement product on a 4km stretch of road in the state. The product, Duracem N, was manufactured at the company’s Louisville Plant. It uses clay sourced locally in the region. The Louisville Plant was reportedly upgraded recently to convert a clinker kiln into a clay calciner. Improvements were also made to the milling process.

Full-scale production of Duracem N will begin early in 2026, with customer deliveries expected in mid-2026. The product has been approved for use by the Nebraska Department of Transportation, with further approvals forthcoming.

India: Wonder Cement has ordered roller mills from Germany-based Gebr. Pfeiffer for use at the cement producer’s new plant in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.

An MVR 6000 R-6 mill will be used for raw meal. It will reportedly be one of the largest raw mills in the country. It will have a mill drive power of 6725kW and a capacity of 1000t/hr. It will include an integrated SLS 6000 VR high-performance classifier to meet a product fineness of 2% residue on a 212µm screen.

A MPS 3550 BK vertical roller mill will be used for coal grinding. It will be equipped with a mill drive of 1840kW and a capacity of 65t/hr petcoke or 100t/hr coal.

The project is being carried out in close cooperation between Gebr. Pfeiffer’s subsidiary in India and the company in Germany. The order will include Gebr. Pfeiffer’s 15^th mill for Wonder Cement. Installation of the new mills is planned by the end of 2026.

UAE: Holcim UAE has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Fakhruddin Properties to jointly advance sustainable construction across the region. The agreement is the first MoU that Holcim has signed with a locally-headquartered building developer. Fakhruddin Properties intends to use sustainable building products to “…reduce both embodied and operational carbon, promote circular economy principles and scale practical sustainability solutions with full transparency.”

Fakhruddin Properties says it pioneered the country’s first in-building waste management system, diverting 90% of waste from landfills and is committed to delivering a ‘wellness-optimised lifestyle’ across its portfolio through the implementation of smart home and air purification technology and other energy-efficient initiatives.

India: The state government of Andhra Pradesh has issued show-cause notices to two limestone mining leases held by Bharathi Cement due to alleged irregularities in the allocation process. The Hans News newspaper reports that the current state administration has been looking at leases granted during the previous Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) government. S Bharathi, the wife of YSRCP president and former chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, is reportedly a director of Bharathi Cement. The previous state government granted two limestone leases to Bharathi Cement via application route in February 2024, despite the law requiring mineral lease to be allocated by electronic auction. It also preceded a change in an ethics code. The cement company has been asked to submit an explanation by late December 2025.