UK: Global construction activity is forecast to rise more than 70% by 2050, reaching a value of US$16.6tn. This will be driven by five trends - population growth and urbanisation, infrastructure and housing deficits, climate adaptation, sovereignty and strategic resilience and high-tech infrastructure - according to a new report by Oxford Economics and commissioned for the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA). Oxford Economics estimates that concrete demand from utilities, transport and social building sectors alone will reach 20Bnt/yr by 2050. The GCCA advocates that it is ‘critical’ that the cement and concrete industry is positioned as part of the solution to a more demanding global infrastructure challenge.

Thomas Guillot, Chief Executive of the GCCA, commented “…to achieve the industrial scale transformation that our world needs, we need governments to help stimulate demand for low-carbon materials, enable waste-derived fuels, promote circularity and back the deployment of carbon capture technologies.”

Adrian Hart, author of the report at Oxford Economics, added “Concrete will be central to meeting this challenge, not just in delivering the infrastructure and housing the world needs, but in supporting economic development, improving living standards and building more resilient communities. The challenge is to deliver more infrastructure and greater economic value, while also reducing emissions and improving sustainability.”

Nigeria/UK: Dangote Cement is preparing to list on the London Stock Exchange from November 2026. It has added Goldman Sachs Group and UBS Group as bookrunners, according sources contacted by Bloomberg. The cement company intends to raise around US$1bn by selling a 10% share in the group. The timing of the stock market listing is variable and is dependent on market conditions. Investor engagement events are expected to start in late-October 2026 to raise interest in the listing. Bloomberg added that Dangote Cement, Goldman and UBS declined to comment on the report. Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals raised US$2.5bn in a private placement earlier in 2026.

World: The Global CCS Institute reports that 113 commercial-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects are currently operational. This includes industrial sectors such as cement, hydrogen, ammonia and fertiliser production and gas processing. Capture capacity is expected to reach 100Mt/yr when projects currently being built are commissioned.

The institute’s latest Global Status of CCS report notes that the CCS sector’s most significant shift is both the growth in projects and the emergence of the transport networks, storage hubs and commercial frameworks needed to support deployment at scale. Around one in three projects being tracked by the Institute are transport and storage schemes.

By region, the Americas, primarily led by the US, holds the biggest share of operating CO₂ capture capacity, at 48Mt/yr. Rising electricity demand from data centres is further driving this trend. CCS projects in Europe could reach 141Mt/yr if projects progress as planned. The Institute also said that Northern Europe is beginning to demonstrate how a connected cross-border market for CO₂ transport and storage could operate. New agreements and industrial partnerships are connecting emitters with permanent storage across national borders. Recent examples include Yara's ammonia facility in the Netherlands, which captures CO₂ for transport and storage in Norway through Northern Lights. The report also highlighted an agreement between the national and provincial governments in Alberta, Canada to coordinate carbon pricing, carbon contracts for difference, project approvals, transport infrastructure development and Indigenous participation within a framework. Other policies have also been noted in China, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the UAE.

India: UltraTech Cement’s sales revenue rose by 17% year-on-year to US$5.05bn in the first half of its 2027 financial year from US$4.30bn a year earlier. Net profit increased by 19% to US$432m from US$364m. However, expenses – particular energy and logistics costs – grew by 17% to US$4.49bn from US$3.85bn. Sales volumes of cement grew by 14% year-on-year to 35.9Mt in the quarter to 30 September 2026 from 31.6Mt previously. The company attributed its growth to higher sales volumes and improved profitability.

During the quarter it commissioned 3.6Mt/yr integrated capacity at Petnikota in Andhra Pradesh, and added 1Mt/yr through debottlenecking at its existing cement plants at Visakhapatnam, Patratu and Nathdwara. The company has a cement production capacity of just under 205Mt/yr, including 5.4Mt/yr outside of India. It is aiming to surpass 240Mt/yr by March 2028.