Displaying items by tag: Environment
Government to reduce Taiwan’s cement export cap
20 June 2017Taiwan: Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Yang Wei-fuu says the government plans to lower the cap on cement exports from over 20% of total output to 15% on environmental grounds. The ministry is also preparing an environmental impact assessment (EIA) policy for the development of the cement industry, according to the Central News Agency. The policy is scheduled to be completed by June 2018 and be submitted to the Environmental Protection Administration. The decision follows public outcry over the alleged expansion of the quarry at Asia Cement’s Hualien plant, which is partly located in a national park.
According to ministry data, Taiwan's cement exports reached 51% of total output in 2009 and 36%, 24%, 24% and 27% from 2013 to 2016 respectively. The ratio was at 25% in the first four months of 2017. Once an amendment to the Mining Act and environmental assessment regulations come into effect, many cement mining projects are expected to be affected. The ministry also intends to find alterative sources for the cement industry’s demand for raw materials.
Asia Cement denies quarry expansion in Taiwan
13 June 2017Taiwan: Asia Cement has denied that it expanded a quarry serving its Hualien plant following accusations by a filmmaker that mining has intensified at the site. Documentary filmmaker Chi Po-lin made the comments in May 2017 whilst filming a sequel to his aerial photographic documentary ‘Beyond Beauty: Taiwan From Above.’ According to the China Post newspaper. Chi subsequently died in a helicopter crash on 10 June 2017 but his aerial footage of the site has caused public outcry.
However, Asia Cement says it has slowly been reforesting the active mining site since 2012. The Ministry of Economic Affairs has also released time-lapse photography supporting the cement producer.
The quarry, which is partly located in a national park, supplies one of the country’s largest cement plants. Its mining lease was set to expire in 2017 but was extended until 2037. The Environmental Protection Administration has also issued assurances that quarry excavations will not occur within the national park area.
Austria: Scheuch Group says that it completed its 2016 – 2017 fiscal year with an order intake over Euro200m, it’s highest incoming order value ever since the company was founded in 1963. The air and environmental engineering company intends to set up a branch office in Germany concentrating on the metal industry and to strengthen the links between its two new subsidiaries in the US.
PCA names leaders in safety and sustainability
10 May 2017US: The Portland Cement Association (PCA) has announced the winners of its Chairman’s Safety Performance, Safety Innovation and Energy and Environment Awards. The awards recognise outstanding safety performance in the manufacturing of Portland cement, creative safety-enhancing projects in the cement industry and outstanding environmental and community relations respectively.
“The facilities recognised today are to be congratulated for their safety achievements,” said Allen Hamblen, PCA chairman and president and chief executive officer of CalPortland, in relation to the Safety Performance Awards.
Winners of the 2017 PCA Chairman’s Safety Performance Awards:
Category: Less than 226,000 hours
Buzzi Unicem USA – Chattanooga, Tennessee
LafargeHolcim US – Morgan, Utah
Lehigh Hanson, Inc. – Tehachapi, California
Category: 226,001 - 289,000 hours
Ash Grove Cement – Foreman, Arkansas
GCC Permian – Odessa, Texas
Lehigh Hanson, Inc. – Leeds, Alabama
Category: 289,001 - 563,000 hours
Cemex USA – Brooksville, Florida
Cemex USA – New Braunfels, Texas
Martin Marietta Materials – New Braunfels, Texas
Winners of the 2017 Safety Innovation Awards:
Milling/Grinding
Ash Grove Cement, Montana City, Montana
Pyroprocessing
Cemex USA, Balcones, Texas
Distribution
CalPortland Cement Terminal, Portland, Oregon
LafargeHolcim US, Corporate Program, Chicago
Winners of the 2017 Energy and Environment Awards:
Energy Efficiency
Cemex USA Construction Materials, Pacific, LLC, Victorville, California
Environmental Performance
Cemex USA Construction Materials, Pacific, LLC, Victorville, California
Land Stewardship
Continental Cement Company/Green America Recycling, Hannibal, Missouri
Outreach Winner
Mitsubishi Cement Corporation, Lucerne Valley, California
Indonesia: Semen Indonesia plans to start commercial operation of its Rembang cement plant in the first half of 2017. Rizkan Chandra, the chief executive, of the state-owned cement producer revealed the company’s plans, despite protests on environmental grounds by local residents, after a meeting with presidential staff in Jakarta, according to the Antara news agency. However the plant is waiting for environmental clearance that is expected to be released in April 2017. Previously a government minister said that the President Joko Widodo was expected to inaugurate the plant in mid-2017. However, in October 2016 the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the protesters and ordered Semen Indonesia to cease its activities.
Cemex to run Maceo cement plant at reduced capacity
31 March 2017Colombia: Cemex Latam, the Latin American subsidiary of Cemex, intends to operate its Maceo cement plant project in Antioquia at a reduced capacity due to difficulties with its environmental clearance. The cement producer will continue building the 0.95Mt/yr plant but it will reduce its output to 0.25Mt/yr once it is operational, according to Reuters. The Colombian cement producer attempted to reverse the annulment of its environmental permits with the local body in late 2016.
In September 2016 Cemex fired several senior staff members in relation to the Maceo project and its subsidiary’s chief executive resigned. This followed an internal audit and investigation into payments worth around US$20.5m made to a non-governmental third party in connection with the acquisition of the land, mining rights, and benefits of the tax free zone for the project.
Indonesia: State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno says that President Joko Widodo is expected to inaugurate Semen Indonesia’s Rembang cement plant in April 2017. Soemarno made the comments following a visit to the plant, according to the Jakarta Post. The inauguration of the plant is dependent on environmental clearance, which should be completed in April 2017. However, the plant has been the focus of intense protests by local farmers and both the Supreme Court and a local government ruled to shut down the plant.
Ministry issues cause orders to cement projects in Philippines
16 December 2016Philippines: The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has issued show cause orders against two cement projects. Orders were issued to the Mindanao Portland Cement Corporation and the Pozzolan and the Associate Minerals Cement Plant, as well as to nine other mining companies, according to the Philippine Star newspaper. Environment Secretary Gina Lopez said that these companies should explain within seven days why fines should not be issued and environmental compliance certificates cancelled. The initiative is part of a review of environmental certificates issues by previous administrations.
Cruz Azul to spend US$300m on plant upgrades
15 December 2016Mexico: The Cruz Azul Cooperative plans to spend US$300m towards upgrades at its four cement plants. The investment will form part of a modernisation project over the next four years, according to CNN Expansión. The initiative will involve updating older production lines with environmental upgrades, expanding its production capacity for export and generating energy from wind power.
India: LafargeHolcim has received environment clearance to raise the production capacity of its Nongtrai limestone mine in Meghalaya to 5Mt/yr from 2Mt/yr for US$28m. The mine is operated by Lafarge Umiam Mining, a subsidiary of Lafarge Surma Cement, according to the Press Trust of India. Limestone from the mine is transported across the border to Lafarge Surma Cement’s plant in Bangladesh. The increased limestone is expected to increase the production capacity at the plant to 5.5Mt/yr from 2.2Mt/yr.
The mine expansion project is subject to final outcomes of cases pending before Supreme Court, High Court and National Green Tribunal. LafargeHolcim’s subsidiaries have also been asked to obtain clearance from the National Board of Wildlife and the State Pollution Control Board.