14 July 2021

Portugal: Semapa subsidiary Secil is spending Euro86m on modernising its Outão cement plant in Setúbal. The Dinheiro Vivo has reported that the work will turn the facility into ‘the most sustainable cement plant in Europe,’ according to the company. It will reduce CO₂ emissions by 20%, end fossil fuel use and establish waste heat recovery to supply 30% of the plant’s electrical power needs. The government has granted the ‘Project of National Interest’ Euro14.5m in funding. The project will also expand the cement plant’s capacity by 30% to 1.3Mt from 1.0Mt.

Chief executive officer Carlos Abreu said "We have the ambition of reaching carbon neutrality in 2050 and this project is a step in that direction. Others will follow." He added "The Asian and American blocs are not always facing that direction, but the path is made by walking... and we will get there." Regarding the timing of the project, Abreu said "Secil was a very brave company here. The project was decided in 2019 before the pandemic broke out... We kept it, despite the fact that knowing that the pandemic was going to be, and is being, very difficult, but we believe that we had no other alternative."

Spain: Cement consumption grew by 17% year-on-year to 7.31Mt of cement in the first half of 2021 from 6.23Mt in the same period in 2020. Oficemen, the Spanish cement association, said that the figure for 2021 remained 1.4% below the same period in 2019 though. However, the consumption in June 2021 was looking promising compared to both the same month in 2020 and 2019. Exports increased by 36% to 3.8Mt in the reporting period. The association celebrated this figure but warned that high electricity and CO2 taxes could potentially have a negative effect on future exports by the sector.

Russia: Rosneft subsidiary Vostsibneftegaz contracted SLK Cement to supply over 8000t of oil well cement to its Yurubcheno-Tokhomsk oilfield in Krasnoyark region in late 2020. The subsidiary of Italy-based Buzzi Unicem provided PZT I-G-CC-1 type oil well cement and shipped it by rail and road. It says that the oilfield is among its target markets in Ural district, alongside the Tyumensk, Khanty-Mansiysk and Yamal-Nenets oilfields.

Azerbaijan: Holcim Azerbaijan has exported its first of planned regular weekly shipments of cement to Gerogia. The Azer News newspaper has reported that transport partner ADY Express, a subsidiary of Azerbaijan Railways, will carry out the orders. It has allocated 50 train cars to make the trip four times monthly, resulting in total shipments of 15,000t/month.

Egypt: Redecam says it has successfully started up a project one line two at Lafarge Egypt’s Ain Al-Sokhna cement plant. The upgrade consisted of: converting the main kiln’s electrostatic precipitator (ESP) into a bag filter; enhanced the cooling system for the clinker cooler, including a partial ESP retrofit; and revamping the bypass the gas conditioning tower and dust transport system. The Italy-based engineering company previously carried out a similar project on line three at the plant in 2020.

US: Sweden-based Bruks Siwertell has commissioned a 1500t/hr rail-mounted Siwertell ST 640-M screw-type ship unloader for an undisclosed cement customer at Houston, Texas. The unloader will serve ocean-going vessels on the Buffalo Bayou watercourse. The producer is transitioning from bagged to bulk dispatch. Contract manager Per Wahlström said that the company was also looking to expand its US operations.

The supplier says that the new unloader offers continuous dust-free cement handling with a peak capacity of 1650t/hr, discharging vessels up to 80,000dwt with zero spillage. Bruks Siwertell also supplied192m-long jetty conveyors with a belt width of 1.6m. Wahlström said “The Siwertell unloader was an ideal choice for this terminal. It was light enough to minimise costs, yet deliver the through-ship capacity required.”

Romania: Liberty Galați said in June 2021 that it exported 50,000t of granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) to France. The steel company said that a French cement producer will use the GBFS along with clay and gypsum in clinker-free cement production. The alternative cement reduces CO₂ emissions by 80% compared to ordinary Portland cement (OPC), according to the supplier. Liberty Galați’s operations generate 500,000t/yr of GBFS. It says that it has cement industry customers across Europe and Africa.

General Director Aida Nechifor said “Our ambition to become carbon neutral by 2030 involves a new metallurgical route – using direct iron reduction and smelting in electric arc furnaces – increased scrap metal recycling and a transition to domestically-generated green energy. However, we are very happy to be able to ensure that even the by-products of our current production process, such as GBFS, can be used better to help reduce the carbon footprint of other products.”