Displaying items by tag: Plant

Cyprus: Vassiliko Cement has secured environmental clearance to build a new alternative fuel (AF) store at its Vassiliko cement plant in Nicosia. Philenews has reported that the facility will replace the site’s former AF store, which burned down in a fire started by a mobile shredder in June 2022.

India: Adani Group is planning to build two new cement plants in Andhra Pradesh with a combined production capacity of 10Mt/yr. Karan Adani, the son of the group’s founder Gautam Adani, made the announcement, among a slate of new investments being developed for the state, according to Business Today. At present the group does not have any cement production plants in Andhra Pradesh, although it does operate two ports at Krishnapatnam and Gangavaram respectively. The other projects include renewable power units with a capacity of 15,000MW and data centres.

Senegal: The International Finance Corporation (ICF) has arranged a Euro242m finance package for SOCOCIM Industries to build a new production line at its Rufisque cement plant in Dakar Region. Euro214m of the loans will be used to decarbonise cement production at the site, including a contribution towards a larger Euro260m upgrade project. The new planned production line will have an alternative fuels substitution rate of 70%, increased energy efficiency and will reduce the plant’s CO₂ emissions.

The finance package organised by the IFC comprises a Euro120m loan from the IFC's own account and Euro122m equivalent in local currency parallel loans from Société Générale Sénégal, CBAO Groupe Attijariwafa Bank, Banque Internationale Pour Le Commerce et l'Industrie du Sénégal, and Ecobank Sénégal. Société Générale Sénégal has been appointed as the administrative agent to manage the local currency financing with the other lenders.

SOCOCIM is a subsidiary of France-based Vicat. Fives revealed in early 2022 that it would supply a 6500t/day kiln line for the Rufisque plant.

US: Alamo Cement has completed a new solar power unit that supports its integrated cement plant in San Antonio, Texas. The unit has a capacity of 17,800MWhr and is situated on an 18 hectare site. It is expected to generate up to 15% of the plant’s annual power consumption and reduce electricity costs.

US: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that 10 cements plants have received its Energy Star certification in 2022 from a total of 86 manufacturing plants across all industries. The certification is awarded to the top 25% performers in energy efficiency in each sector. The EPA cited examples of how Titan America’s Troutville plant in Virginia and its Medley plant in Florida had converted production to Portland Limestone Cement (PLC), and achieved a 12% reduction in electricity use and an 18% reduction in CO2 emissions, respectively, thanks to improved energy management. It also mentioned Cemex’s Miami plant in Florida, which increased its energy performance in 2022 by modifying a finish mill, optimising the ball charge on the largest mill and identifying and correcting potential energy losses while also increasing the production of PLC.

Cement plants awarded the Energy Star certification in 2022 include: Drake Cement’s Paulden plant and Salt River Materials Group’ Clarkdale plant in Arizona; GCC’s Pueblo plant in Colorado, Cemex’s Miami plant and Titan America’s Medley plant in Florida; Argos USA’s Harleyville plant in South Carolina; GCC’s Rapid City plant in South Dakota; Buzzi Unicem USA’s Chattanooga plant in Tennessee; Titan America’s Troutville plant in Virginia; and Ash Grove Cement’s Seattle plant in Washington.

China/Uzbekistan: Anhui Conch has released an update on some of its major development projects. Its new plant at Tashkent in Uzbekistan has an investment of around US$260m. The company reports that 30,000m² of equipment and materials have arrived, the rotary kiln supporting wheels have been hoisted in place, the main body installation of the coal mill has been completed, the structure of the dormitory building has been capped and the main factory area has begun to take shape. It is also building a plant at Brakbash District in Andijan State. Civil engineering and main engineering construction are reportedly underway. The company also has a third cement plant in the country. So far the group has built over 10 cement plants outside of China.

In China, Anhui Conch is building a CO₂ energy storage demonstration project at its Baimashan cement plant in Wuhu, Anhui province. The group says that, once complete, the project will be the world's first commercial demonstration project of a CO₂ energy storage system. It says that during the low power consumption period, the excess power will be used to compress CO₂ at normal temperature and pressure into a liquid. The heat energy generated during the compression process will be stored. The stored heat energy will then be used to heat the liquid CO₂ back into a gas, driving the turbine to generate electricity, reducing the cost of electricity. The demonstration project has an area of 40,000m².

The cement producer says it is working towards a model of ‘one base and five industries’ where cement production links to other industries such as new energy, new materials, environmental protection, the digital economy and the promotion of international trade.

Kenya: National Cement Company expects to commission its upcoming West Pokot clinker plant in September 2023. The cement company says that the plant will produce clinker for export to neighbouring countries in Central and East Africa. A previous survey by the Kerio Valley Development Authority proved reliable reserves of 1.2Mt/yr of limestone in the area. When commissioned, National Cement Company expects the new plant to generate 2000 direct jobs.

Vietnam: Xuan Thien Group has secured permission for the construction of a US$1.25bn, 10Mt/yr cement plant in Hoa Binh Province. Việt Nam News has reported that the plant will occupy a 48 hectare site in Lac Thuy District. Construction will also involve the clearance of 48 hectare of jungle. Xuan Thien Group is currently also engaged in the construction of a lime plant and solar panel assembly plant in the district.

Germany: Austria-based Rohrdorfer has started up an amine-based carbon capture system at its Rohrdorf cement plant in Bavaria. The producer plans to ultimately expand the system up to a capture capacity of 1500t/day. The inauguration follows a successful continuous trial of the technology since August 2022, excluding a regular kiln maintenance period over winter. Austria-based Andritz designed the system specifically for the Rohrdorf cement plant. It yields CO₂ that is suitable for numerous applications, including in food and beverages and in intermediate products in pharmaceuticals production. The Rohrdorf cement plant also hosts a formic acid plant which uses captured CO₂.

Rohrdorfer aims to achieve carbon-neutral cement production by 2038. Alongside production-related optimisations, the producer plans to realise its aim through a future expansion to the Rohrdorfer plant’s carbon capture system and the implementation of a further carbon capture upgrade at a second cement plant in Austria.

Pakistan: Bestway Cement has announced the successful commissioning of its Hattar cement plant's new 2.63Mt/yr Line 2. The line increases Bestway Cement's installed capacity by 21% to 15Mt/yr. It is equipped with a 9MW waste heat recovery (WHR) plant. The Nation newspaper has reported that the producer completed the project in under 15 months.

Hattar cement plant was Bestway Cement's original cement plant. It opened in 1998, with a capacity of 1Mt/yr.