Belgium: Holcim Belgium has finished loading around 1250t of cement from its 1.7Mt/yr integrated Obourg cement plant onto a train in Obourg in Belgium’s Hainaut province. It leaves on 24 September 2019 for Lafarge France’s Bonneuile-Sur-Marne, Île-de-France depot. La Province has reported that LafargeHolcim began the process on 20 September 2019 with the conveyance of cement by three shuttle trucks to the train’s 12 carriages. LafargeHolcim spokesperson Séverine Baudoin has explained that the undertaking, LafargeHolcim’s first of its kind in the region, is a part of its sustainable development plan applied to distribution to new clients in the Paris area.

Sweden: The Land and Environment Court will hear the dispute over Cementa’s licence to work a limestone quarry near its Slite plant in Gotland on 30 September 2019. The company has stated the supply of stone from the quarry is essential to the existence of the 2.5Mt/yr integrated cement plant. It is seeking to extend the permit, which expires in 2021, to 2041.

India: Dalmia Cement has revealed its commitment to dropping its net CO₂ emissions to below 0t/yr by 2040 as part of its new ‘Future Today’ branding. The company’s plan consists of a transition to renewable power by 2030 and the adoption of plant matter and refuse-derived fuel (RDF) for 100% of its fuel needs. Dalmia’s 4.0Mt/yr integrated Ariyalur cement plant in Tamil Nadu will receive a 0.5Mt/yr carbon capture and storage facility in 2022 at the latest. The UK-based Carbon Clean Solutions will provide technology and operational services for the installation, the largest in the cement industry. Mahendra Singh, managing director and CEO of Dalmia Cement, has expressed the hope that its product should become ‘the World’s greenest cement.’

Belgium: The European Cement Association Cembureau has joined 92 other European associations in lobbying the European Council to prioritise research, development and innovation in its Multiannual Financial Framework for the Institutions for 2021 to 2027. It called on the Council to raise the Horizon Europe project’s budget to at least Euro120bn, with a minimum of 60% dedicated to the ‘Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness’ pillar. Cembureau emphasised the importance that Horizon Europe should have the money to realise its promises of boosting growth, securing technological leadership and scaling up 21^st century technologies ‘at this pivotal time.’