Global Cement News

Thailand: SCG Cleanergy and US-based Rondo Energy have launched a new 33MWh thermal battery integrated with SCG’s cement plant’s heat recovery system in Saraburi province. The system delivers 2.3MWth of continuous steam to the plant’s turbine, increasing output and enabling 24/7 electricity and process-heat supply. It also stores electrical energy as high-temperature heat in refractory materials and can reach 1500°C. CEO Eric Trusiewicz said the system was built in eight months. Rondo said that the installation is the world’s first commercial heat battery at a cement plant, and that it plans to scale further.

Egypt: Cement exports recorded their first decline in five years in the first nine months of 2025, falling by 5% year-on-year, according to Business News Africa. Exports were 14.5Mt, down from 15.3Mt in the same period in 2024. The decline follows the suspension of regulations that had allowed producers to reduce their capacity by 10% annually and instructed companies to prioritise local sales. The decision was halted for two months in May 2025, roughly five months before the dip in exports. Exports were only permitted for surplus quantities.

The policy had initially been introduced by the Egyptian Competition Authority (ECA) in 2021, after producers complained of heavy losses due to low demand and depressed prices. Production rose to 47.8Mt from January to September 2025, up by nearly 20% year-on-year, with local sales rising to 39.2Mt and clinker output rose to 45Mt from 42Mt.

Head of the Cairo Chamber of Commerce’s Cement Division Ahmed El-Zaini said “Egypt’s exports were only 3-4Mt/yr five years ago but surged to 20Mt/yr in 2024, largely at the expense of domestic supply.”

Bolivia: Cement sales reached 336,777t in September 2025, down by 5% year-on-year from 353,970t in September 2024, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INE). Sales rose by 5% month-on-month from 320,998t in August 2025.

Global: The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has launched its ‘Cement and Concrete Industry Net Zero Action and Progress Report 2025/6’, which reports a fall by 25% in CO₂ intensity of cementitious products since 1990 and sets out policy measures needed to accelerate decarbonisation. The report was launched at COP30 in Belem, Brazil.

The report highlights more than 60 decarbonisation projects across alternative fuels, alternative raw materials, carbon capture, renewable energy and recycled concrete. Examples include Fletcher’s Golden Bay plant and JSW’s Nandyal and Shiva plants. Publicly announced projects are collated and made available to see on the GCCA/LeadIT green cement technology tracker. The document also calls for policies enabling non-recyclable waste use in kilns, wider adoption of blended products, national carbon pricing mechanisms and the use of construction demolition waste as recycled raw materials.

GCCA president and Heidelberg Materials chair Dominik von Achten said “Our industry is collaborating and innovating across every aspect of our production - finding new ways to work and deploying exciting technologies that are already making a genuine step change. However, to achieve the industrial scale transformation that our world needs, we cannot do it by ourselves - our industry needs the support of governments, policymakers, stakeholders, and our allies across the built environment right now.”

GCCA chief executive Thomas Guillot said “The breadth of activity we are seeing across our membership is truly inspiring, with great examples of projects and work across all decarbonisation levers, where enabling policies exist. Cement and concrete are essential materials for the world, but we know they are also essential to decarbonise. Despite our progress, we know that firm policy action across the world is fundamental to enabling us to accelerate our reductions.”

Zimbabwe: Bulawayo City Council has cancelled Labenmon Investments’ lease for the construction of a cement grinding plant at Umvumila Industrial Park after the China-based company failed to finalise the lease signing process, according to The Chronicle newspaper. The lease was awarded in October 2024 but the decision follows controversy around the project. Deputy Mayor Edwin Ndlovu and finance and development committee chairperson councillor Mpumelelo Moyo were previously arrested by the Anti-Corruption Commission in an alleged bribery case.

Director of town planning Wisdom Siziba said “This report sought to cancel the offer of industrial stands 15895 and 15896 Umvumila for Labenmon Investments after council on 2 October 2024 had resolved that stands 15895 and 15896 be leased out to Labenmon Investments for an initial period of five years subject to review. The applicant indicated that they would use the stand for industrial purposes, establishing a cement mixing plant, at a monthly rental of US$450 and US$700 respectively (exclusive of VAT). The applicant had accepted the offer but did not finalise the lease signing process. Several reminders were sent to the applicant to no avail. It was against this backdrop that the department wished to have the offer cancelled and the stand repossessed.”

In October 2024, it was alleged that the two officials had been arrested for demanding a US$20,000 bribe from Labenmon Investments in exchange for approving 5.6 hectares of land for the grinding plant. The case saw the Deputy Mayor acquitted after a full trial. Councillor Moyo was found guilty and sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment. In October 2025, he was granted US$200 bail by the High Court pending appeal.