09 June 2023

US: Heidelberg Materials North America will inaugurate its new 2.4Mt/yr Mitchell cement plant in Indiana on 13 June 2023. The plant cost US$600m to build and is Heidelberg Materials' 'most technologically advanced and sustainable' cement plant, according to the company. It includes a 32,000t/yr cement terminal, served by a newly renovated rail depot. Heidelberg Materials North America has commissioned 1000 new rail cars to assist in efficient distribution of cement produced at the Mitchell plant.

Uzbekistan: Bekabadcement is carrying out a 'large-scale' upgrade to its 0.7Mt/yr Bekabadcement plant in Tashkent Region. The producer said that the upgrade involves a 20% capacity expansion of the plant's production line to 2500t/day. Austria-based Unitherm CemCon supplied burners for the upgraded line, while China-based Beijing Triumph International Engineering supplied heat exchanger components and a KC 4.1-0955 cooler. The upgrade also involves the installation of new kiln lining, and will transition the plant's cement production from wet to dry process. Germany-based Christian Pfeiffer previously upgraded the Bekabad cement plant's grinding unit in April 2023.

General director Vasily Korobkin "We see that (parent company) United Cement Group (UCG) is interested in the modernisation and development of the enterprise. The group adheres to international standards, so all plans for the development of the plant are built accordingly." He concluded "We expect to become a modern and successful enterprise in Uzbekistan which is capable of becoming a major player in the cement industry of Central Asia.”

US: Ash Grove Cement has won funding for a US$15.2m front-end engineering design (FEED) study for a carbon capture installation at its 2Mt/yr Foreman cement plant in Arkansas. Parent company CRH said that the study will run for 24 months from its date of commencement. The project team also includes consultancy and research firms Advanced Resources International and Crescent Resource Information, as well as non-profit interstate policy organisation Southern States Energy Board. Equipment suppliers will include France-based industrial gases company Air Liquide and energy company Sargent & Lundy, while electricity provider Talos will participate as an energy sector stakeholder.

The Foreman cement plant carbon capture FEED study is one of eight projects selected by the US Department of Energy to receive part of a US$189m funding pot for carbon capture demonstrations across US industry.

Denmark: Aalborg Portland and US-based Fidelis New Energy have signed a letter of intent to collaborate on the onshore storage of captured CO₂ from the cement producer's Aalborg cement plant in North Jutland. The partners will convey captured CO₂ from the plant to Fidelis New Energy's upcoming Norne Carbon Storage Hub at East Port of Aalborg via a pipeline. The pipeline is scheduled for commissioning ahead of the launch of the Aalborg cement plant's upcoming carbon capture system in 2030. The system will capture 400,000t/yr of CO₂ from the plant's flue gases.

Fidelis New Energy's Norne Carbon Storage Hub is due to commence operations in 2026. It will have a handling capacity of 4Mt/yr of CO₂, with the possibility of subsequently expanding to 8Mt/yr.

Ireland/US: Shareholders have approved Ireland-based CRH's board recommendation to transition to a US primary listing on the New York Stock Exchange. The company says that it will effect its transition on or around 25 September 2023. This will entail delisting shares from Ireland's Euronext Dublin, while retaining a standard listing on the UK's London Stock Exchange (LSE).

CRH derived 75% of earnings from North America in 2022. It expects the US market to be a key driver of future growth due to the country's growing populace and construction needs.

CEO Albert Manifold said "We are pleased to see such strong shareholder support for the listing transition, as it marks an important milestone in our development and will enable CRH to fully participate in the significant growth opportunities that lie ahead.”

India: Star Cement plans to implement a capacity expansion drive in order to raise its total grinding capacity by 70% to 9.7Mt/yr from 5.7Mt/yr. Dow Jones Institutional News has reported that the producer expects to capitalise on projected growth in cement demand in East and Northeast India.