UltraTech Cement expands Karur grinding plant
India: UltraTech Cement has commissioned 0.6Mt/yr of new cement grinding capacity at its Karur grinding plant in Tamil Nadu. The expansion follows the commissioning of a 2.7Mt/yr greenfield grinding unit at the site in April 2024. The plant's total capacity is now 3.3Mt/yr. The additional capacity will reportedly help UltraTech to meet the rising demand for composite cement in South India and improve its blended cement ratio.
The producer's domestic grey cement capacity now stands at 167Mt/yr and its global capacity at 172Mt/yr.
Indonesian government to set cement industry emissions cap
Indonesia: The Ministry of Industry will introduce mandatory emissions limits for cement producers, as well as for those in the fertiliser, paper and steel industries. Companies will be encouraged to participate in carbon emissions trading.
Apit Pria Nugra, head of the Green Industry Centre at the Ministry, said that companies could receive compensation for emissions below the limit, but that they would need to purchase carbon credits from other companies if they exceed the limit.
The government will subsequently extend the emissions trading scheme to five additional sectors.
China Resources Building Materials Technology expects 2024 profit to drop by 62 – 72%
China: China Resources Building Materials Technology expects its full-year profit to have dropped by 62 – 72% year-on-year in 2024, Reuters has reported. This would correspond to a gross profit of US$579 – 786m, compared to US$2.07bn in 2023. The producer attributed the anticipated decline to ‘lower gross margins’ in its various businesses.
Sumitomo Osaka Cement reports nine-month 2025 financial year results
Japan: Sumitomo Osaka Cement's sales declined by 0.8% year-on-year to US$1.09bn in the first nine months of the 2025 financial year. Nonetheless, the producer succeeded in raising its pre-tax profit, by 16%, to US$44.9m. The company forecasts full-year sales of US$1.47bn (up by 0.6%) and profit of US$54.4m (down by 2%), maintaining previous estimates.
US: Eco Material Technologies has secured a US$800m green term loan facility. The facility will mature in 2032. Eco Material Technologies will invest the funds in expansion to its supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) production capacities, to raise them to 20Mt/yr.
The company noted the oversubscription of the raise as demonstrative of high confidence in its proposition for the decarbonisation of cement and concrete.
Taiwan: Asia Cement Corporation (ACC) has published its inaugural Nature-Related Financial Disclosures Report for 2025. The report adopts the Task Force on Nature-Related Financial Disclosures’ framework to evaluate the nature-related impacts of ACC’s operations. It already publishes an annual Climate-Related Financial Disclosures Report.
Since 2020, ACC has invested US$21.5m initiatives aimed at promoting nature, including its successful rehabilitation of golden birdwing butterflies.
India: Shree Cement has signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of Karnataka to invest nearly US$1bn in cement manufacturing facilities over the next five years. The producer will build a cement plant in the city of Kalaburagi, with 3.5Mt/yr of clinker capacity and 3Mt/yr of cement capacity, for US$288m. The plant will create 300 jobs and start production in 2025.
Shree Cement will build a second plant nearby, in the Kalaburagi district. The plant will have a clinker capacity of 3.5Mt/yr and an eventual cement capacity of 6Mt/yr, to be commissioned in two phases. It will create 750 jobs and cost US$575m. Commissioning is scheduled for 2030.
The last project planned is for a clinker grinding plant in the district of Bangalore Rural, with a capacity of 3Mt/yr and a cost of US$98m. The facility will create 250 jobs and begin production in 2028.
Shree Cement has stated that it is ‘committed to sustainable development’ and will ‘incorporate advanced technologies to ensure environmentally friendly operations.’
Raysut Cement signs MoC for refuse-derived fuel
Oman: Raysut Cement has signed a memorandum of cooperation with Oman Environmental Services Holding Company (Be'ah) and Germany-based MVW Lechtenberg and Partner to explore the feasibility of producing refuse-derived fuel. The project aims to promote alternative fuel use in heavy industries, reduce waste and support Oman's environmental sustainability goals.
CEO of Raysut Cement, Hilal bin Saif al Dhamri, said "This project underscores the partnership between Be'ah and Raysut Cement in advancing the circular economy and supporting Oman's efforts to achieve carbon neutrality."
Cuban cement output declines
Cuba: Cement production fell to 258,000t in 2024, representing only 10% of the country’s installed capacity, according to the OSDE Group of Business Construction Materials. President Reynolds Ramírez Vigaud attributed the decline to energy shortages amid national financial challenges.
The sector's problems date back to 2017, according to CiberCuba, when capacity utilisation was 58%. Despite initiatives such as the first ‘eco-friendly’ cement production in 2018 and the reopening of the Sancti Spíritus cement plant in 2022, the industry has faced logistical issues and plant shutdowns. This has a knock-on effect on the government’s annual housing plan and the inability to meet domestic demand for cement. The government is also prioritising the export of cement to obtain foreign currency, worsening shortages and increasing prices.
New cement plants at Nuevitas and Santiago de Cuba will begin production in 2025.
India: Titan Cement Group has entered the South Asian market through a joint venture with India-based supplementary cementitious materials producer JAYCEE. The producer will hold a majority stake in the new company Atlas EcoSolutions. The venture will source, process, market and distribute supplementary cementitious materials globally in order to help its customers build sustainable construction projects using alternatives to clinker-based cement.
Head of supply chain and energy development Jean-Philippe Benard said "This joint venture aligns perfectly with our strategy to remain at the forefront of low-carbon building materials and highlights our unwavering commitment to sustainability and innovation. Entering the South Asian market positions us in a region with vast potential, both in market demand and sustainability impact. Securing long-term access to SCMs provides Titan Group a key alternative for strategically diversifying its portfolio with new low-carbon cements."