
21 February 2023
Adani Group to reopen Darlaghat and Gagal cement plants 21 February 2023
India: The state government of Himachal Pradesh has announced the forthcoming reopening of Adani Group's Darlaghat and Gagal cement plants. Reuters has reported that truck drivers' unions agreed to a reduced freight rate offered by Adani Group. The producer shut the plants on 15 December 2022, claiming that it faced prohibitively high operating costs, including high freight charges.
Truck drivers will now receive rates of US$0.12/t/km for despatches in small delivery trucks and US$0.11/t/km for dispatches in articulated trucks. Drivers operating at the Darlaghat cement plant previously earned fees of US$0.13/t/km, while those operating at the Gagal cement plant had earned fees of US$0.14/t/km. Adani Group had reportedly sort to lower rates to US$0.07/t/km. Unions have criticised the newly negotiated rates, pointing out the UltraTech Cement recently raised the wages of drivers at its Baga cement plant in the state to US$0.13/t/km.
Bestway Cement inaugurates Hattar cement plant's Line 2 21 February 2023
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.
SungShin Cement increases sales in 2022 21 February 2023
South Korea: SungShin Cement recorded full-year consolidated sales of US$792m in 2022, up by 24% year-on-year from US$641m in 2021. The producer recorded a net loss of US$19.5m, compared to US$5.01m net profit in 2021.
Uzbek cement plants to transition to coal as fuel 21 February 2023
Uzbekistan: The government has ordered a partial transition of industries, including cement, to coal fuel from natural gas. The Turan Information Agency has reported that the ordinance, entitled Accelerating the Introduction of Renewable Energy Sources and Energy-Saving Technologies, will create an additional coal demand of 1.63Mt/yr and reduce national gas consumption by 926Mm2/yr. From 1 April 2023, the government will halve tariffs on coal imports, while the construction of new gas pipes to industrial facilities will be banned from 1 May 2023.
Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies wins three-year residential projects supply contract 21 February 2023
France: Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies has won a contract to supply property developer Belin Promotion with its clinker-free cement for use in its residential property development projects up until March 2026. Dow Jones Institutional News has reported that the deal includes minimum volume commitments.