05 July 2017
France: LafargeHolcim has launched a Euro100m upgrade to build a new clinker production line at its Martres cement plant in Tolosane. Construction work on the new line will start in the third quarter of 2018 and will be completed in mid-2020. A key feature of the upgrade will be a focus on using alternative fuels in the new kiln, particularly tyres. Following the project’s completion the plant will have a substitution rate of 80% from 30% at present.
The project, the largest investment made by the group in France for 40 years, is part of a wider package of Euro300m for France that the company announced in 2016. Tenders for the project at Martres will be issued in early 2018. LafargeHolcim has also made a point of saying that priority will be given to local, French and European companies. Previously the French media published concerns that the project might be awarded to a Chinese contractor.
India: Ambuja Cement has purchased a limestone block in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra. An estimated limestone resource of 42Mt was acquired via state auction for a price of 125% of the value of mineral dispatched. Formal confirmation via the state government is expected to follow soon.
Vietnam: Siam City Cement Vietnam plans to invest up to U$50m on its cement plants in the next six to 12 months. The Thai-owned cement producer purchased Holcim Vietnam in March 2017, according to the Saigon Times Daily newspaper. It operates plants in Kien Giang, Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Dong Nai provinces and in Ho Chi Minh City.
Cement production picks up in Panama 05 July 2017
Panama: Data from the Treasury Inspector's Office in Panama reports that cement production rose by 7.5% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2017. The construction sector as a whole grew by 6.6% due to residential and non-residential projects, according to the La Estrella de Panama newspaper. However, infrastructure work decreased at the same time.