India: The board of directors of Star Cement has approved the sale of shares in two of its subsidiaries to a third subsidiary, Star Cement Meghalaya. Star Cement Meghalaya will acquire 40% stakes in Meghalaya-based Star Cement (I) and Assam-based Star Cement North East.

Neither Star Cement (I) nor Star Cement North East has yet to commence cement production. Parent company Star Cement is currently building two new grinding plants in Northeast India, where it is the market leader. The group also announced plans for a new 3Mt/yr clinker line in June 2022.

UAE: RAK White Cement recorded consolidated sales of US$67.4m in 2022, up by 3.3% year-on-year from US$65.3m in 2021. The producer recorded a 36% year-on-year profit drop to US$5.74m from US$8.95m.

During the third quarter of the year, RAK White Cement secured the approval of its board of directors to delist its shares from the Boursa Kuwait stock exchange.

Australia: Germany-based Christian Pfeiffer has received an order for a grinding circuit comprising a 16.3m-long ball mill and a QDK T 250-Z type separator from Hallett Construction Materials. The circuit will have a capacity of 84t/hr, according to the supplier. Hallett Construction Materials plans to use the equipment at its upcoming Port Augusta slag cement grinding plant. The plant is scheduled for commissioning in January 2024.

Hallett Construction Materials chief executive officer Kane Salisbury said, “For us, the sustainability of the plant is the highest priority. That’s why we manufacture cement containing 100% slag.” Salisbury added “The Christian Pfeiffer process experts convinced us that the ball mill, in combination with a high efficiency separator, is the best system to serve our requirements.”

India: Police arrested 50 truck drivers and union leaders at protests outside Ambuja Cements’ Darlaghat cement plant in Himachal Pradesh on 1 February 2023. The events marked the 50th day of on-going protests against Adani Group’s closure of the Darlaghat and Gagal cement plant following its acquisition of Ambuja Cements and ACC in September 2022. The Times of India newspaper has reported that cement truck driver’s unions are now threatening to escalate the protests to a ‘chakka jam’ demonstration across Himachal Pradesh. This would involve blocking roads at five planned locations in the state. Union representatives will meet Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on 3 February 2022. Sukhu has repeatedly expressed support for protestors, saying that the state will not tolerate exploitation.

United News of India has reported that protestors on 1 February 2023 voiced criticism of Indian ‘lawlessness’ and of Adani Group and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) power ‘monopoly’ in the country.

Mexico: GCC has secured validation by the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTI) for its latest CO₂ reduction goals. The group has committed to reducing its Scope 1 emissions per tonne of cementitious product by 31% and its Scope 2 emissions per tonne of cementitious product by 57% between 2015 and 2030. It has also committed to a 37.5% absolute reduction in its products’ Scope 3 emissions over the same period. The goals will serve as sustainability performance targets for GCC’s US$500m sustainability-linked bond, which it issued in January 2022.

GCC's vice president of sustainability and environment Gina Lotito said "We are proud and excited to be a catalyst of progress towards a low-carbon future. Our laser-focus on our climate change strategy and emphasis on reducing CO₂ emissions is a testament to our commitment to creating a sustainable future. While we celebrate our achievements, we acknowledge that there is still much work to be done and remain steadfast in our mission."

US: Mitsubishi Cement Corporation has reportedly abandoned its planned construction of a cement terminal at the Port of San Diego in California. The Union-Tribune newspaper has reported that the cement producer failed to produce a plan involving electric vehicle use for cement deliveries to the facility. Board of Port Commissioners rejected the company’s previous terminal proposal in 2020 because of its involvement of diesel-powered cement trucks.

Russia: Holcim’s divested Russian business has rebranded as Cementum. Local management concluded a deal to buy the company from Switzerland-based Holcim in December 2022. The new ownership agreed to change the name upon completion of the transaction. Holcim Russia had been operating as a deconsolidated subsidiary of Holcim since March 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Tunisia: Les Ciments de Bizerte recorded a full-year consolidated turnover of US$40.1m in 2022, corresponding to a drop of 5.4% year-on-year from 2021 levels. The producer's clinker production fell by 24% year-on-year to 538,000t. African Manager News has reported that the company faced a forced stoppage during the year due to a disruption to its raw materials supply. Meanwhile, its costs increased amid rises in the price of petcoke, electricity, diesel and packaging materials.

Europe: The European cement association, Cembureau, has 'welcomed the objectives' of the European Commission's new Green Deal industrial plan. The Green Deal attempts to create a predictable and simplified regulatory environment in which to scale up the production and implementation of net-zero CO₂ technologies.

Cembureau also issued its advise for a successful Green Deal implementation. The association said that the framework must match the US Inflation Reduction Act in its provision of tax rebates and other incentives. It said that the plan must establish stable renewable energy prices and rapid permit procedures, with a focus on deployment of renewables at industrial sites. It also called for funding under the plan to finance the development of infrastructure for CO₂ transport and storage.

China: China Resources Cement (CRC) has inaugurated its Cement International Innovation Centre. The producer says that the centre will contribute to the sustainable growth of its operations across three platforms, namely: cutting-edge research and development, international technologies exchange and international talent introductions.

CRC chair Ji Youhong said that the start of operations at the Cement International Innovation Centre constituted a 'major achievement' under the government's 14th Five Year Plan.