Global Cement News

Ethiopia: Samuel Halala, the director of Ethiopian Chemical and Construction Inputs Industry Development, says that the Abay Cement plant is 60% complete and due to start operation in 2021. The 2.5Mt project is located near Degen in Amhara Region, according to New Business Ethiopia. It has an investment of around US$260m. Once completed it is expected to create 1500 jobs.

Halala added that the country’s 21 cement plants have a production capacity of 17Mt/yr but have a capacity utilisation rate of around 60%. Only 14 plants are currently active, producing 11.5Mt/yr.

Nepal: Udayapur Cement Industry has resumed clinker production after a closure period of over two months. The 800t/day cement plant was forced to close both production and sales due to government-mandated lockdown measures in response to the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Himalayan Times newspaper. It has now resumed operation using social distancing rules.

India: Switzerland-based ABB has reported its successful installation of electrification and automation systems at RCC’s upcoming 3.9Mt/yr integrated Mukutban plant in Yavatmal, Maharashtra. The plant will have a 40MW captive power plant and an 11MW heat recovery system. ABB has supplied MV and LV Switchgears with UMC100.3 intelligent motors, an ABB Ability System 800xA and an ABB Ability Expert Optimiser.

Azerbaijan: Cement producers produced 0.91Mt of cement in the first quarter of 2020, down by 8.7% year-on-year from 1Mt in the first quarter of 2019. Ready-mix concrete production rose by 9.9% to 0.46Mt from 0.51Mt, while the total value of construction materials produced fell by 4.5% year-on-year to US$120m from US$126m. The decline was attributed to a decrease in demand due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Trinidad & Tobago: Trinidad Cement has said that it is celebrating 365 days without a loss time injury (LTI). The company said, “Our strict safety protocols implemented throughout our operations are paying off… by saving lives.”