21 May 2025

Ethiopia: Ethiopia has increased its cement production capacity to 20Mt/yr following the inauguration of Pioneer Cement’s expansion project in Dire Dawa city, according to The Ethiopian News Agency.

Minister of Mines Habtamu Tegen said that the country has been increasing its infrastructure and building large cement plants such as Lemi Cement to meet national demand, and that it was also commissioning four coal processing plants to further increase supply, including to neighbouring markets.

The Pioneer Cement expansion was reportedly the result of a partnership between Ethiopian and Chinese investors. Pioneer Cement general manager Leon Zone said that the factory had been operational for 16 years, and that the expansion project had increased the plant’s production capacity by 0.6Mt/yr and created 550 direct jobs.

France: Ecocem will invest €170m to build four new production lines for its ACT low-carbon cement technology in Fos-sur-Mer and Dunkirk. This follows a €50m investment at Ecocem’s Dunkirk facility to deliver its first production line. The additional manufacturing capacity will come online between 2028 and 2030. At full capacity, ACT production in France will reach 1.9Mt/yr, reducing CO₂ emissions by 800,000t/yr and creating 60 jobs. The French government has reportedly committed to working closely with Ecocem to identify operational and financial solutions to accelerate and deliver the expansion.

UAE: Manufacturing conglomerate Exeed Industries has signed a memorandum of understanding with sustainable building materials producer Partanna Oasis to explore local production of carbon-negative cement alternatives in the UAE. Both parties will plan to establish a brine conversion facility, a tolling facility and a cement plant to commercialise Partanna’s products in the UAE. The two companies will collaborate on certification, performance testing and regulatory alignment.

Vietnam: The government has reduced cement clinker export tax from 10% to 5%, effective from 19 May 2025 to the end of 2026. The 10% rate will be reinstated on 1 January 2027.

The Ministry of Finance said the temporary measure is an effort to help local manufacturers adjust production and reduce their inventory amid falling demand. Only 77% of Vietnam’s 122Mt/yr cement capacity is currently in use, with 34 out of 92 lines suspending operations in 2024. Cement and clinker exports fell by 5% to 29.7Mt in 2024, with revenues down by 14% year-on-year to US$1.14bn. Clinker exports alone were valued at US$301m.

Pakistan: Power Cement will build a 7.5MW wind power plant using Goldwind turbines under a rental model, with commissioning targeted in the 2026 financial year.

The new facility will supply 11% of the producer’s energy demand. Power Cement currently sources 34% and 6% of its energy needs from waste heat recovery and solar, respectively. The company has a total cement production capacity of of 3.37Mt/yr.