18 November 2024

India: UltraTech Cement has entered a new transport service contract to deploy about 100 electric vehicles for the transportation of 75,000t/month of clinker from its cement plant Dhar Cement Works in Madhya Pradesh to its grinding unit Dhule Cement Works in Maharashtra, 200km away. This expansion aims to reduce CO₂ emissions by 17,000t/yr. The initiative follows a successful pilot launched in January 2024, in which the company deployed five electric trucks for the transport of clinker on this route, as well as the deployment of charging infrastructure and training. UltraTech is evaluating additional routes for further electric truck deployment and plans to conduct another pilot with a similar model. The company aims to increase its electric truck fleet to 500 by June 2025 as part of India's eFAST initiative.

Kazakhstan: International Cement Group has opened its fourth plant, Korcem, increasing its capacity by 38% to 5.5Mt/yr. The US$153m investment aims to support the growing construction demands in Central Asia and is expected to meet rising export demand, especially from Kyrgyzstan.

Fiji: Fijian Holdings (FHL) plans to construct a new cement plant within the next two to three years in Lami, replacing the current facility which began operations in 1962. According to CEO Jaoji Koroi, the existing plant, operated by subsidiary Pacific Cement, has faced issues with machine breakdowns, which have affected production and profitability. In 2023, damaged machine parts forced the plant to close down for two months. The proposed new plant reportedly aims to produce more ‘environmentally-friendly’ products. The announcement follows a year where Pacific Cement saw reduced sales due to price controls and outdated equipment.

North Macedonia: Titan Usje will invest €20m over the next three years to modernise its operations, focusing on digitalisation and new technologies. Since 2019, the company has invested over €6m in digitisation and artificial intelligence solutions. The system is being rolled out across all Titan plants and is designed to maximise production efficiency, reduce energy use by over 10% and improve product quality, while cutting CO₂ emissions.

Zimbabwe: Bulawayo deputy mayor Edwin Ndlovu and Finance and Development Committee chairperson Councillor Mpumelelo Moyo have been arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) for allegedly demanding a US$20,000 bribe from Labenmon Investments. The officials are accused of soliciting the bribe from the China-based investors in exchange for approving 5.6 hectares of land for a cement plant. The initial application for 10 hectares was denied by the Bulawayo City Council. The two were scheduled to appear in court on 16 November 2024.

A statement from the ZACC said "The circumstances are that sometime in November 2023, Tsitsi Mapfumo from Labenmon Investments made an application, without success, for 10 hectares of land to the Bulawayo City Council for a cement mixing plant. Labenmon Investments resubmitted the application in April 2024 and was offered 5.6 hectares. After Labenmon Investments received an offer letter, the accused persons allegedly approached Mapfumo demanding a reward of US$20,000 cash on behalf of other 20 Bulawayo City Council councillors for facilitating the approval.”