October 2025

Kyrgyzstan: Kyrgyzstan has lifted the temporary ban on the import of various types of cement. The Cabinet of Ministers signed a resolution to allow the import of Portland cement, aluminous cement, slag cement and similar hydraulic cements, in ready form or as clinker.

Mozambique: President Filipe Nyusi has inaugurated a grinding plant in Niassa Province, northern Mozambique, valued at US$20m. The plant has the capacity to produce 0.2Mt/yr of Portland cement, according to Club of Mozambique news.

Nyusi said the plant would supply Niassa and neighbouring provinces, including Cabo Delgado, Nampula and Tete, improving competitiveness in the northern market and reducing reliance on imports impacted by exchange rates. The plant is expected to lower market and transport costs, particularly for remote districts.

Present Nyusi said “It [the plant] already has 100 workers, which means that 500 people will benefit directly from this plant in terms of income, and many more will benefit indirectly.”

The first stone for the construction of the plant was laid back in October 2018 by former Niassa governor Arlindo Chilundo.

Jamaica: Caribbean Cement Company has reached a milestone in its kiln expansion project with the installation of a 160t-capacity surge bin and solid fuel equipment.

The development ensures a stable and increased fuel supply to the kiln during cement production, according to Loop News.

Jorge Martinez, managing director of Caribbean Cement, said “The successful installation marks a significant step forward in enhancing our production capabilities. This investment is a main milestone of the expansion project to be completed in the first half of 2025 with the aim of increasing the efficiency and stability of our operations. It also demonstrates our commitment to meeting the local demand for cement.”

India: UltraTech Cement has begun transporting mineral gypsum via National Waterway 1 (Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system) in a pilot project supported by the Inland Waterways Authority of India and Inland & Coastal Shipping, a Shipping Corporation of India subsidiary.

The consignment is being shipped from Haldia port, West Bengal, to the Gaighat terminal in Patna, Bihar. It will then be transported to UltraTech’s Pataliputra Cement Works grinding unit in Bihar. UltraTech is reportedly the first Indian cement company to utilise National Waterway 1 for large-scale gypsum transport, with the aim to cut CO₂ emissions and ease congestion on roads and railways.

Vietnam: Vietnam National Cement Corporation (Vicem) has reported consolidated losses for the second consecutive year, of US$55.15m, according to a draft annual report by the Ministry of Construction. Vicem is the only company among six under the ministry to report losses in 2024, with a consolidated loss of US$55.15m due to ‘unfavourable market conditions’, according to The Investor magazine. Its parent company’s loss reached US$9.33m. In 2023, it reported its first-ever loss of US$44.5m amid a drop in demand following the 2016 economic slowdown. By the end of 2023, cumulative losses reached US$88.24m.

The Ministry of Finance's inspection department recently highlighted capital loss risks in Vicem’s subsidiary investments, requiring provisions exceeding US$118.2m. Inspectors have urged the company to assess the financial performance of underperforming businesses.

Global: The World Cement Association has released a white paper titled ‘Long-Term Forecast for Cement and Clinker Demand’, authored by CEO Ian Riley. The paper predicts a global decline in cement demand to 3Bnt/yr by 2050, with clinker demand dropping to 1.5Bnt/yr.

The report attributes the decline to decarbonisation, technological advancements and market dynamics, with the need for carbon capture and storage consequently reduced.

Ian Riley said “The cement industry is undergoing an unprecedented transformation. As we move towards a decarbonised future, understanding the true demand for cement and clinker is critical to ensuring that policies, technologies and investments align with reality. This white paper aims to provide industry leaders and policymakers with the clarity needed to plan effectively and sustainably.”

The analysis also explores disruptive factors such as alternative materials, supply chain optimisation and clinker-free technologies, presenting three scenarios to guide stakeholders in adapting to industry changes and fostering innovation.

Germany: Capsol Technologies has signed a cooperation agreement with Holcim to deliver a CapsolGo carbon capture demonstration campaign at Holcim’s Dotternhausen plant in southern Germany. The CapsolGo campaign will test Capsol’s carbon capture technology using its hot potassium carbonate (HPC) solvent. Capsol Technologies will provide the demonstration as a turnkey solution, including testing and validation to supply critical data and insight into the technology.

Dieter Schillo, plant manager of Holcim (Süddeutschland), said “The CapsolEoP (End-of-Pipe) unit’s design, requiring no external steam supply and exhibiting low energy consumption, makes it an attractive option for our Dotternhausen plant.”

If successful, Holcim plans to deploy Capsol’s technology across multiple cement plants globally. This builds on a feasibility study conducted by Aggregate Industries UK, a Holcim subsidiary, for the Cauldon cement plant in Stoke-on-Trent. Testing at Dotternhausen will run for four months, starting in the second quarter of 2025.

US: Vicat subsidiary National Cement Company of California has signed a cooperative agreement with the US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations to develop the Lebec Net Zero (LNZ) project at its Lebec cement plant in California.

The agreement commits up to US$500m, covering up to 50% of the Phase one cost. The project includes constructing a CO₂ sequestration facility with a 0.95Mt/yr capacity, enabling the plant to capture ‘almost all’ of the plant’s emissions. It will also increase alternative fuel use from locally sourced biomass and reduce the plant’s clinker factor by producing calcined clay-based cement. The plant will reportedly produce carbon-neutral cement.

The first step will be to conduct a preliminary engineering study and establish a community advisory body in charge of relations with local communities. Phase one will run through the first quarter of 2026.

Italy: Cement and clinker imports from non-EU countries rose by 43% year-on-year in the first nine months of 2024, following 2023's high of 2.28Mt of cement and 1.33Mt of clinker, up by 22.6% on 2022 and 572% compared to 2018, according to Federbeton.

Federbeton president Stefano Gallini said “Italy shares its Mediterranean coastline with countries that, although they boast a large cement manufacturing industry, do not share the stringent environmental and safety standards of EU countries. The increase in imports from these countries therefore risks having repercussions not only on the cement and concrete sector, but on the entire Italian economic and social context.”

Gallini warned that Italy faces challenges from cheaper imports driven by lower environmental investments abroad. He added “Federbeton, like the entire hard-to-abate industry, is in a moment of great turmoil, engaged in a path for decarbonisation with investments of €4.2bn in addition to extra operating costs of approximately €1.4bn/yr. Asking the Italian industry for an effort of this type and continuing not to protect it by allowing uncontrolled imports means relocating emissions to foreign countries, to which are added those due to increased transport, with dangerous repercussions for the future of our own planet.”

UK: The first shipment of bulk cementitious materials has arrived at Aggregate Industries’ new deep-sea cement terminal in Southampton.

Cementitious materials are conveyed pneumatically into the terminal’s new warehouse. The facility, developed under a €7.2m investment, is reportedly the UK’s fastest cement discharging terminal, unloading 1t of cement every five seconds. The project began in March 2024 and was completed with the arrival of the Nacc Indian Cement Carrier, marking the terminal’s operational launch.