
August 2025
Cemex invests in solar power in Poland 14 March 2025
Poland: Cemex has signed an agreement with EDP Energia Poland to build solar installations at several of its sites, with a total capacity of over 14MW. The investment is part of its ‘Future in Action’ strategy to combat climate change.
New solar plants will be installed at Cemex's cement plants in Chełm, Rudniki, and Gdynia, as well as its ready-mix concrete plants in Mysłowice, Warsaw Annopol, Lublin, Szczecin, and Gdańsk. The concrete plant installations will begin operating in the second quarter of 2025, while the installations at the cement plants are scheduled to start generating power in the first quarter of 2026. EDP Energia Polska will install and manage the solar installations under a 15-year agreement, supplying renewable energy to Cemex facilities.
Cement shortage caused by port delays 14 March 2025
The Gambia: A recent cement shortage in the Greater Banjul Area and West Coast Region has been attributed to delays at the country’s main port, according to Omar Badjie, director of industry at the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment. The disruption reportedly stemmed from a backlog at the Banjul port that left a key shipment from cement supplier Jah Oil waiting offshore.
“The issue wasn't production capacity,” Badjie said. “The port was congested, and Jah Oil's vessel had trouble berthing. That put pressure on the two other cement plants, Salam and Gacem, which couldn't meet the market's demand on their own.”
The government expedited a berth for Jah Oil's vessel, which docked last week with 38,000t of cement. However, supply constraints persist, with contractors reporting stalled projects and inflated prices.
Argentina cement production up by 9% in February 2025 14 March 2025
Argentina: Cement production reached 0.74Mt in February 2025, up by 9% from 0.68Mt in February 2024, according to the Asociación de Fabricantes de Cemento Portland. Of this, exports contributed 8855t, from 5384t in February 2024, representing an increase of 64% year-on-year. Domestic cement consumption stood at 0.73Mt, an 8% rise from 0.68Mt in the same month of 2024. Of this, imports contributed 212t, a fall of 76% from 919t in February 2024.
Cimpor targets UK expansion 13 March 2025
UK: Cimpor is expanding into the UK following a change in ownership in 2024 and new capital investment. Cimpor registered Cimpor UK Limited in April 2024 with an office in Cheadle and has invested €20-25m in a terminal at the port of Bristol. It plans to expand its product range in the UK in the coming years.
Cimpor Global chief technology officer Berkan Fidan said “With the ports and terminals we own and operate, we leverage our export globally, strengthening our supply chain and continuing to explore new market opportunities.”
Over 40 jobs threatened at Scotland’s only cement plant 13 March 2025
UK: Union officials have raised concerns over 41 job losses at Tarmac’s Dunbar cement plant in East Lothian, which represents about a third of its workforce. The plant has been described as ‘critically important to the Scottish economy,’ according to The Scotsman newspaper. Trade union GMB Scotland has called on the Scottish government to intervene, warning that the cuts would harm local communities and Scotland’s manufacturing base. The 0.7Mt/yr plant has reportedly entered talks with workers over the potential job cuts, but questioned have been raised over whether production levels can be maintained after job losses.
GMB Scotland organiser Stephen McGhee said “This may be the first step in deindustrialising the site with work, skills and taxes going elsewhere. With the widespread use of concrete, this would be another blow to Scotland’s manufacturing base and workforce.”
Heidelberg Materials orders MVR mill from Gebr. Pfeiffer 13 March 2025
France: Heidelberg Materials has ordered an MVR 5000 C-4 vertical roller mill from Gebr. Pfeiffer for its Airvault plant to grind ultra-fine Portland cement. The mill will be equipped with an SLS 4500 VC classifier to produce 145t/hr of Portland cement at a fineness of 4500cm²/g. The design allows for high-efficiency grinding and lower CO₂ emissions by reducing clinker content in blended cements. The contract is managed by China-based contractor CBMI. Commissioning is expected in the first half of 2026.
Tamil Nadu government proposes limestone mining tax 13 March 2025
India: The Tamil Nadu government will impose a mineral-bearing land tax of US$1.82/t on limestone under the Tamil Nadu Mineral Bearing Land Tax Act 2024. This tax, payable in advance on mineral dispatch, is in addition to existing royalty charges. The announcement follows Karnataka’s recent decision to levy US$0.29/t on limestone mined.
The tax will raise production costs for cement producers in the region, particularly affecting Ramco Cements, which has 52% of its clinker capacity in Tamil Nadu, and Dalmia Bharat, which has 23%. Other Indian cement producers are less affected, with UltraTech Cement only holding 4% capacity in the area, and ACC 2%. This could mean that the cost increase is passed on to consumers, raising the price of cement.
India: The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has approved the demerger and transfer of Vinay Cement’s cement and mining operations to Dalmia Cement (North East), both subsidiaries of Dalmia Bharat. The order comes into effect on 31 March 2025. Dalmia Bharat will not issue shares under the arrangement. Both subsidiaries will continue operating under the company following the approval.
Update on Nigeria, March 2025 12 March 2025
There are two new cement plant stories to note in Nigeria this week. Firstly, the Kebbi State Government has signed an agreement with MSM Cement to build a 3Mt/yr plant. Secondly, drilling work has started on a forthcoming 10Mt/yr plant to be built by Resident Cement in Bauchi State.
The project in Kebbi State appears to be a new one, although the government has been looking for investors for a while. The state government and a subsidiary of MSM Group have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) supporting the US$2.4bn initiative, according to local press. Alhaji Muazzam Mairawani, the chair of MSN Group, said that his company intends to develop the plant in four stages, each worth US$600m. The first stage has a schedule of production by early 2027. MSN Group started out in the fertiliser business and has since expanded into the oil and gas, shipping and agricultural sectors.
The project in Bauchi State has progressed further along and is bigger. The state government signed an MOU worth US$1.5bn with Resident Cement in mid-2024. The deal also includes a 100MW power plant, a dam and other amenities for the local community. Before the main announcement of the MOU, local press reported that Sinoma Nigeria Company was investing in the project. Subsequently, Bala Mohammed, governor of Bauchi State, said that the state owns a 10% stake in the plant.
These two new project stories follow the release of the annual reports for 2024 in recent weeks by the main cement producers in Nigeria. Global Cement Weekly touched upon this last week in its coverage of the results of major multinational building materials companies including Dangote Cement. That company’s sales revenue and earnings were boosted by growing sales volumes of cement in Nigeria. This was particularly impressive given that the country continues to face economic problems including high inflation and negative currency exchange effects. Dangote Cement said it managed to overcome these problems through “increased promotional activities and improved route to market solutions” thereby upping the market presence of its products. The company also managed to grow its exports to a record amount. It shipped 0.91Mt of clinker to Cameroon and Ghana out of a total export volume of 1.2Mt.
Graph 1: Sales revenue for large cement producers in Nigeria, 2023 - 2024. Source: Company financial reports.
It was a similar story from the two other large domestic cement companies. Lafarge Africa’s net sales grew at a similar rate to Dangote Cement in 2024 and it increased its profit after tax faster. Lolu Alade-Akinyemi, the CEO of Lafarge Africa, attributed this to the company’s “strong market positioning, operational efficiency, cost management and dedication to value creation.” BUA Cement grew its sales faster than the other two. Starting production on new production lines at its Sokoto and Obu plants is likely to have contributed to this. However, the company’s net profits rose at a lower rate than its competitors in 2024. This has been blamed on the poor market at the start of the year and negative currency exchange effects related to the loans that the company took out for its new lines.
Lafarge Africa ending on a high with its 2024 results is not surprising given that the company is currently being sold by Holcim to Huaxin Cement. The transaction is expected to close at some point in 2025. Huaxin Cement issued an update at the end of February 2025 saying that its accountants had been auditing the financial statements of Lafarge Africa. It also noted the depreciation of the Nigerian Naira in 2023 and 2024. This is all fairly standard stuff but check back later in the year to see how the sale has progressed.
The cement market in Nigeria is looking positive. New plants are on the way, the large cement producers are doing relatively well and the general economy may be improving. New entrants are also entering the market. However, consumers and legislators have increasingly questioned why the price of cement has remained so high in recent years. This continues to present a tricky situation to the market as it develops.
Roland Waldenhofer appointed as Head of Development, Quality Assurance and Application Technology at Alpacem Zement Austria 12 March 2025
Austria: Alpacem Group has appointed Roland Waldenhofer as Head of Development, Quality Assurance and Application Technology of Alpacem Zement Austria. He succeeds Christoph Stotter in the post, who has been working for the group as Quality and Product Innovation Manager since 2024.
Waldenhofer, aged 30 years, trained as a civil engineer at Graz University of Technology. He previously worked for Rohrdorfer as Head of the Sand & Gravel Laboratory and
Head of the Central Laboratory & Technology Projects.