Displaying items by tag: Government
Cement producers asked to reduce prices in Assam
22 August 2016India: Cement producers have been asked to reduce their prices in Assam following an intervention by the state’s chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal. The official held meetings with 25 companies following reports of 10% local price rises in the last three months. Sonowal asked the producers why their prices had risen so fast and affirmed his administration’s commitment to stabilising the prices of commodities, according to the Times of India.
US: The Essroc cement plant in Speed, Indiana has lots its appeal to burn alternative fuels. Local government officials have decided that the plant will have to apply for rezoning to order to burn hazardous waste, comprising solvents, paints and other chemicals along with coal, according to the Washington Times newspaper.
“I’m disappointed in the decision, but I’m confident that we’ve got other means to obtain the required authorisation to continue with the project,” said Jeremy Black, the plant manager.
Local residents who are suing the plant have accused Essroc of misleading them regarding which fuels the company intends to burn. Essroc have denied the claim.
Tanzanian cement producers asked to complain to government
19 August 2016Tanzania: Charles Mwijage, the Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment, has advised local cement producers to complain to the government regarding imports of cement and a ban on imported coal. Mwijage made the comments at the inauguration of Tanga Cement’s second clinker production line, according to the Tanzania Daily News newspaper.
"We ask the government to either stop the imports or at least impose higher tariffs on imported clinkers. We are also pleading with the government to ensure clinkers on transit reach their destinations. This will remove unfair competition in the market," said Reinhardt Swart, the managing director of Tanga Cement.
The cement producer has complained to the government previously about the same issues. He added that the some of the cheap products were clinker on transit that are diverted to the local market and then sold cheaply because they are not taxed. In addition the government ban on coal imports has raised the company’s energy costs. Swart said that the company is also appealing to the government to secure more reliable electricity supplies.
India: The state government of Odisha has asked the Steel Authority of India to build infrastructure, including a cement plant, in the Sundargarh district. The admission came about at a meeting between Steel Authority chairman P K Singh and chief minister Naveen Patnaik at the state secretariat. Other projects the state would like the steel producer to build include a hospital, a medical college and an education centre, according to the Times of India.
India: Bokaro district officials in the state of Jharkhand will support the construction of a 1.5Mt/yr cement plant by UltraTech Cement in the Bokaro Industrial Area Development Authority (BIADA). UltraTech will be the second cement producer to build a plant in the BIADA region following Dalmia Cement. Local officials have met UltraTech staff to discuss infrastructure connections, the availability of slag and other raw materials and environmental clearance, according to the Times of India.
Hazemag wins order for El Arish cement plant
03 August 2016Egypt: The government of Egypt has ordered crushers and apron feeders from Hazemag for its El Arish cement plant. The agreement includes six HAF 22116 apron feeders with spillage conveyor and six HPI 2025 primary impact crushers for each 1200t/hour of limestone with a feed size of up to 1500mm. This plant crushes the limestone to D95 < 75mm.
In addition Hazemag will supply six HAF 1480 apron feeders with spillage conveyor and six HRC 0816 double roll crushers each for crushing 400t/hour of clay with a feed size of up to 500mm to D95 < 75mm, as well as three HGI 1420 gypsum impact crusher for crushing 350t/hour of gypsum with a feed size of up to 800 mm to D90 < 40mm.
The cement plant has six new 6000t/day cement lines supplied by Chengdu Design & Research Institute of Building Materials Industry. The plant is expected to be completed in mid-2017.
Uzbekistan commissions new cement plant
25 July 2016Uzbekistan: The Titan Cement plant in the Karauzyak region of Karakalpakstan has been completed and has started operation. The plant has a production capacity of 0.2Mt/yr and 200 new jobs will be created. The commissioning was announced at a socio-economic development meeting for the Republic of Karakalpakstan, an autonomous republic within Uzbekistan.
India: Officials in Jharkhand have said that the recently announced sale of Lafarge India to Nirma will require state approval to transfer land at the Jojobera cement plant. The East Singhbhum deputy commissioner, Amit Kumar, has been asked to calculate the revenue that the government stands to gain from such land transfer and its registry, according to the Hindustan Times. Previously, the district administration served a notice to Lafarge India on 10 October 2015 when Lafarge India was in talks with Birla Corporation regarding the sale of some of the same assets.
"It's mandatory to seek state government's prior approval for third-party transfer of leased land, in this case leased to Tata Steel. The district administration had informed this to the company, requesting it to seek government's approval," said KK Sone, the state land and revenue secretary. "It has to comply with the administration's notice. Any violation would draw administrative, civil as well as criminal actions."
The Jojobera plant was built on government land leased to Tata Steel. Tata Steel then signed a business transfer agreement for its Jojobera plant with Lafarge India in March 1999.
Canada The Quebec government has said that it has no plans to invest further into the McInnis Cement plant on the Gaspé Peninsula. Dominique Anglade, the province's Economy Minister, said on 29 July 2016 that she was confident that the US$854m project would be profitable and there will be no further investment on the part of the government, according to the Globe and Mail newspaper. Key investors, including the Bombardier-Beaudoin family and the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, are facing additional costs of up to US$350m, according to sources cited by the newspaper.
The provincial government says it has taken action since learning of the cost overrun, including securing guarantees regarding the financial package needed in the short term to ensure completion of the project. Other unspecified ‘additional conditions’ have also been attached to the government's financial contribution. Quebec is a major equity partner in the project, with a US$78m investment. It also provided a US$194m loan on commercial terms.
The cement plant has a planned launch of operations set for spring 2017.
Sri Lankan government queries sale of Holcim Lanka
24 June 2016Sri Lanka: The Industry and Commerce Ministry has queried the sale of Holcim Lanka, LafargeHolcim’s business on the island. Industry and Commerce Ministry Secretary TMKB Tennakoon contacted Holcim Lanka in March 2016 to point out that the government has not benefitted from deals with the cement producer to allow it to build a quarry and that it can control attempts to sell some of its assets, according to the Daily News newspaper.
Tennakoon has raised the issue that the Sri Lankan government is not making profit out of a lease agreement, started in 1993, which gave Holcim Lanka mineral rights to a quarry in Aruwakkalu, Puttalam. In addition the cement producer was granted a 12-year tax holiday on funds borrowed from within Sri Lanka, the ministry claims. The ministry has informed Holcim Lanka that it is in the process of evaluating the terms and conditions of the agreement ‘in order to gain more benefits to the industry and the country’ and warns Holcim Lanka that in the terms of Section 4(b) of the agreement, Holcim Lanka cannot transfer or sub-let the premises without the consent of the government-owned Cement Corporation.
LafargeHolcim announced that it was leaving the cement business in Sri Lanka in early June 2016. The Industry and Commerce Ministry was expressed its interest in buying the local company.