Displaying items by tag: Government

Kyrgyzstan/Uzbekistan: Azamat Arapbaev, a member of the Kyrgz parliament, says that Uzbekistan has blocked exports of cement from Kyrgyzstan. The block started in mid-May 2019, according to the Central Asia News Service. Economy Minister Oleg Pankratov said that talks have been held with the ambassador of Uzbekistan over the matter. Cement plants in the south of Kyrgyzstan are dependent on the export market.

India: Accusations of violence by local police against activists protesting against a limestone mining lease granted to UltraTech Cement in Gujarat have been referred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Police from Bhavnagar allegedly attacked protestors with batons and used tear without prior provocation during a march in early January 2019, according to the DNA India newspaper. The protestors were complaining about a mining lease for a quarry in the Talaja district.

US: The chief executive officers (CEO) of 13 US companies, including LarfargeHolcim, are lobbying the President and Congress to enact business-led climate change legislation. This initiative, known as the CEO Climate Dialogue, urges the government to put in place a long-term federal policy as soon as possible, in accordance with a set of six guiding principles. The group aims to build bipartisan support for climate policies that it says will, “… increase regulatory and business certainty, reduce climate risk, and spur investment and innovation needed to meet science-based emissions reduction targets.”

Companies involved in the CEO Dialogue include BASF, BP, Citi, Dominion Energy, Dow, DTE Energy, DuPont, Exelon, Ford Motor Company, LafargeHolcim, PG&E, Shell, and Unilever. Four environmental groups have also supplied input to the initiative. These are the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, Environmental Defense Fund, the Nature Conservancy and World Resources Institute.

The six principles include: ‘significantly’ reducing US greenhouse gas emissions; allowing an effective timeline for reductions that will help capital intensive industries to adjust in an ‘economically rational manner’; instituting a market-based price on carbon; making the policies durable and responsible; doing no harm to the competitiveness of the US economy with particular attention to carbon leakage; and promoting equity. Specifically the initiative says that US policy should ensure the country is on a path to achieve economy-wide emissions reductions of 80% or more by 2050 with ‘aggressive’ short and medium term emissions reductions.

“Tackling the challenge of climate change is no easy task, and as industry leaders, we have an opportunity to join forces to advocate for climate legislation. It is critical we begin to set durable and achievable goals that help safeguard the environment while reducing our carbon footprint,” said Jamie Gentoso, the CEO for US Cement operations of LafargeHolcim.

Ukraine/Russia: The Ukrainian government has imposed an embargo on Russian-manufactured cement and plywood in response to Russia’s ban on the entry of Ukrainian goods to the Russian market. The Ukrainian Economic Development and Trade Ministry recommended to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine that imports be blocked for the following goods: Portland cement, calcium aluminate cement, slag cement, sulphate resistant cement and similar hydraulic cement varieties, pigmented and non-pigmented, finished or clinker, as well as glue wood, lamwood panels and similar materials made from laminated wood.

Ukraine imported an estimated US$17m worth of cement products from Russia in 2018. The latest sanctions follow a block by Russia on goods from Ukraine in mid-April 2019.

Belarus: President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has demanded that the local cement industry improve its efficiency and increase its exports. He made the comments following the approval of the appointment of Alyaksandr Dawhala as the new chief executive officer of Belarusian Cement, according to the Belapan news agency. He noted that export sales were improving with a focus on the European Union although key markets also include Poland, Latvia and Ukraine.

Philippines: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) expects San Miguel Corporation’s acquisition of a majority stake in Holcim Philippines to reduce the price of locally produced cement. Trade Secretary Ramon M Lopez said that he expected operational synergies and economies of scale to ‘hopefully’ bring down prices, according to the BusinessWorld newspaper. He also noted that import duties on imports of cement could also provide a ‘healthy competitive environment.’

San Miguel Corporation agreed to purchase LafargeHolcim’s 85.7% share in Holcim Philippines in early May 2019. The deal is expected to be completed by the end of 2019.

Mali: Ibrahima Dibo, a director of Diamond Cement Mali has denied that his company is responsible for recent price rises. At a press conference on the issue he explained that the cement producer has had fixed prices in conjunction with the government at its units at Astro and Dio Gare since 2012, according to the Le Républicain newspaper. Instead he blamed traders for exploiting cement shortages and poor roads. Dibo added that the company produced 0.73Mt of cement in 2016 from its two units in the country but that its sales have fallen since then. As a whole the country has an estimated 3Mt/yr demand for cement.

Liberia: President George Manneh Weah has written to the Liberian Senate to agree investment and incentive agreements between the government and Starr Cement. The cement producer intends to build a 0.6Mt/yr grinding plant, according to the New Dawn newspaper. The project will cost US$41m. The proposed plant will supply cement locally and to other countries in the Mano River Union, including Ivory Coast, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

Nigeria: Ogbonnaya Onu, the Minister of Science and Technology, has inaugurated a pozzolana cement plant at Bokkos in Plateau state. The plant is currently being commissioned, according to the News Agency of Nigeria. The 5000t/yr grinding unit is intended to produce low cost cement. It consists of six sections: materials handling; grinding; nodulisation; calcination; milling; metering; and bagging. The plant is being run in conjunction with the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBBRI).

Belarus: The government has issued a directive ordering an increase in its stake in 12 large companies including Belarusian Cement. The government’s stake will be increased by amounts equal to the financial support the companies have been given, according to the Belapan news agency. The government reportedly invested around Euro70m into the companies.