06 June 2018
US: US Cement is in the process of obtaining a draft air permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to build a white cement plant in Brady, Texas. A public hearing on the application will be made in late June 2018. The subsidiary of Royal White Cement plans to build a single line 0.5Mt/yr white cement plant.
Hungary: Germany’s IKN has provided information on its role with an environmental upgrade to Duna-Dráva Cement’s Vác plant. The Euro22m project was commissioned in April 2018. The 2400t/day clinker production line was modified by IKN to handle a refuse-derived fuel (RDF) substitution rate of up to 100% in the calciner. The two lower cyclone stages were replaced, a complete new preheater tower with the inline calciner was erected, a new bypass system and a new static inlet in the clinker cooler were installed. IKN says that it completed the project in just less than two years on an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) basis.
Denmark’s FLSmdith also worked on the project replacing the line’s bag filters with an electrostatic precipitator system. This part of the environmental upgrade cost Euro4.7m.
France: LafargeHolcim France has started the first phase of a Euro100m upgrade project its Martres-Tolosane cement plant. The first phase of civil engineering work has been awarded to Eiffage Génie Civil and it will be carried out until mid-2020. The stage of the project will build the foundations to support a new production line and its preheater tower. The upgrade will also enable the unit to increase its alternative fuel substitution rate to 80% from 30% at present.
Canada/France: Canadian pension companies La Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP) completed their acquisition of a minority stake of France’s Fives in late May 2018. The equipment manufacturer will remain controlled by its management, with Ardian as another minority shareholder. The group said that the new investment would enable it to expand and to explore research and development programs that aim to improve energy efficiency and a lower environmental footprint.
Afghan government cancels contract for Ghori Cement 06 June 2018
Afghanistan: The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum has cancelled the Afghan Investment Company’s (AIC) contract to operate Ghori cement factory in Baghlan province. The AIC has been accused of not meeting a contractual obligation to upgrade the plant, according to Salam Watandar radio. Minister Nargis Nehan said that the company has due to invest US$152m in the unit but that it had only spent US$51m on the project. In addition it had acquired an outstanding loan of US$13m from the ministry. Mehmood Karzai, brother of the former president Hamid Karzai, is a shareholder in AIC.
Medcem Çimento obtains ISO certification 06 June 2018
Turkey: Medcem Çimento has obtained the ISO 14001-2015 certification for environmental management. The ISO 14000 family of standards provides tools for companies to manage their environmental responsibilities.
Cimencam upgrading Figuil cement plant 06 June 2018
Cameroon: Cimencam will spend US$70m to upgrade its integrated plant at Figuil. A new kiln is being built at the plant to meet increased demand from export markets in Chad and the Central African Republic, according to the Cameroon Tribune newspaper. The subsidiary of LafargeHolcim is also building a cement grinding plant at Nomayos.
South African cement shipment seized in Mozambique 06 June 2018
Mozambique: Cement imported illegally from South Africa has been seized at the border town of Ressano Garcia. Customs impounded 36 railway wagons containing an estimated 29,000 bags of cement being imported by Kawena, according to the O Pais newspaper. Due to a lack of proper documentation the customs office is treating the case as fraud. The shipment is valued at US$0.12m and duties of US$74,500 should have been paid on it. Kawena says it has the documentation for the consignment, according to the Mozambique News Agency.
Algeria: Lafarge Algeria says it plans to focus on exports and roads in 2018. Serge Dubois, director of public relations at the company, said that it intends to export 5Mt or 30% of the market by 2020, according to the El Watan newspaper. The cement producer has already conducted seven export operations since Decemebr 2017 to West Africa. The other priority is to encourage the use of cement in local infrastructure, incuding road expansion plans.