28 July 2016
India: The credit ratings agency ICRA has predicted that cement demand is likely to increase by 6% year-on-year in the 2016 – 2017 financial year from 5% in the previous period due to a government focus on developing infrastructure and better weather. The growth in demand is also likely to lead to higher prices, especially in the northern and eastern states. Infrastructure development is expected to arise from road and house building.
"With the pace of new capacity addition slowing down, we expect capacity utilisation and the supply-demand scenario to show an improvement, especially in the 2017 – 2018 fiscal year, which should support cement prices and profitability indicators for cement manufacturers," said ICRA Ratings’ Senior Vice-President Sabyasachi Majumdar.
ICRA report that growth in demand for cement slowed to 3.4% in April and May 2016 from 9 – 13.5% in January to March 2016. It attributed this to weak rural demand, especially in Maharashtra, and a slowdown in infrastructure development partly due to a drought. However, demand grew faster in north and east India.
Arawak Cement reaches record exports in June 2016 28 July 2016
Barbados: Arawak Cement has recorded its highest exports in three years when it exported 20,000t of cement in June 2016. The figure contributed a 27% year-on-year increase in exports to 90,000t for the first half of 2016, according to the Nation News newspaper. The cement producer said that the boost in export sales was due to improvements to its jetty and dust emissions control systems at its St Lucy plant. The changes have allowed it to improve its cement loading rates and receive larger ships.
Jamaica: The Caribbean Cement Company’s net profit has risen by 21% year-on-year to US$832,000 in the first six months of 2016 from US$686,000 in the same period in 2015. Revenue grew by 10% to US$65.6m from US$59.4m. The rise in profit was attributed to increased revenue and reduction in costs but was tempered by stockholding, inventory restructuring and manpower restructuring costs. Cement export and clinker volumes fell by 8% and 77% respectively in the period despite the increases in revenue.
Cemex to cut emissions at five plants in US 28 July 2016
US: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have agreed a settlement with Cemex, under which the company will invest approximately US$10m to cut air pollution at five of its cement plants to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Air Act. Under the consent decree lodged in the District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Cemex will also pay a US$1.69m civil penalty, conduct energy audits at the five plants, and spend US$150,000 on energy efficiency projects to mitigate the effects of past excess emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from its facilities.
“This settlement requires Cemex to use state-of-the-art technology to reduce harmful air pollution, improving public health in vulnerable communities across the South and Southeast,” said Cynthia Giles, Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “EPA is committed to tackling clean air violations at the largest sources, cutting the pollutants that cause respiratory illnesses like asthma.”
The five Cemex cement plants affected by the deal are located in Demopolis in Alabama, Louisville in Kentucky, Knoxville in Tennessee and New Braunfels and Odessa in Texas. The Knox County, Tennessee and Louisville, Kentucky air pollution control authorities participated in this settlement. Cemex is required to install pollution control technology that will reduce emissions of NOx and establish strict limits for sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions. The cement producer will install and continuously operate a selective non-catalytic reduction system for controlling NOx at the five plants and meet emission limits that are consistent with the current best available control technology for NOx. EPA estimates this will result in NOx emissions reductions of over 4000t/yr. Each facility will also be subject to strict SO2 emission limits.
This settlement is part of EPA’s National Enforcement Initiative to control harmful emissions from large sources of pollution, which includes cement plants, under the Clean Air Act’s Prevention of Significant Deterioration requirements. The total combined SO2 and NOx emission reductions secured from cement plant settlements under this initiative will exceed 75,000t/yr once all the required pollution controls have been installed and implemented.
The settlement is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval.