August 2025

Georgia: HeidelbergCement Georgia plans to invest in additional grinding capacity at both of its cement plants. The subsidiary of Germany-based HeidelbergCement says that it will complete expansion work at both plants by the 2022 production season. It is also contemplating the possibility of clinker capacity expansions.

In early July 2021, Georgia experienced a cement shortage due to the release of pent-up demand from infrastructure projects and reduced imports from Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Belgium: The European cement association Cembureau says that the European Union’s (EU) upcoming ‘Fit for 55’ emissions legislation must provide an enabling regulatory framework for the cement industry’s carbon neutrality roadmap. Key issues of concern to the association are the prevention of carbon leakage, the retention of free allocation and a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) until 2030 and the need for a ‘coherent package’ to boost the uptake of low-carbon technologies. It said that the industry supports the European Green Deal and the major challenge of delivering deep emissions cuts by 2030.

Chief executive officer Koen Coppenholle said “Whilst we welcome that the CBAM will seek to bridge the widening gap in carbon costs between EU and non-EU countries, the proposed phase-out of free allocation and the absence of export rebates would cause significant risks to investments.” He added “The decision not to include indirect emissions at this stage is also regrettable.”

India: Vedanta Aluminium has expressed interest in a long-term collaborative partnership with a cement producer. The Economic Times newspaper has reported that, in such a partnership, Vedanta would supply the producer with fly ash and bauxite residue with which to produced reduced-CO₂ cement. The company said that a cement producer could be its ‘perfect circular economy partner.’

Chief executive officer Rahul Sharma said "We hope the Indian cement producers come forth to work with us on this innovative solution, which is a true win-win scenario for the industry and environment.”

India: Shree Cement is on track to commission its 3.0Mt/yr cement grinding plant at Patas in Pune, Maharashtra in September 2021. The plant was originally scheduled for commissioning in late 2020 but this was delayed due to Covid-19 led-disruption. The unit has had an investment of around US$80m and it will source clinker from a group site in Karnataka. The plant is Shree Cement’s first in western India.

India: Larsen & Toubro says that it has won a contract to supply a 1.8Mt/yr grinding unit to a site belonging to a ‘leading cement producer’ at Dolvi in Maharashtra. The supplier said that the scope of the work includes civil and mechanical engineering and equipment installation.

JSW Cement operates a 2.2Mt/yr integrated cement plant in Dolvi. It upgraded the plant’s capacity from 1.2Mt/yr in 2019.

India: Anjani Portland Cement has agreed to acquire a further 3% in Bhavya Cements to bring its stake in the company to 92% from 89%. The group says that its aim is to further consolidate its shareholding. In early June 2021, Anjani Portland Cement completed its purchase of an 83% stake in Bhavya Cements to increase its shareholding to 89% from 6%.

Saudi Arabia: Yanbu Cement’s first-half sales were US$143m in 2021, up by 23% year-on-year from US$116m in the first half of 2020. Net profit fell by 11% to US$30.7m from US$34.5m. The company said that a local price drop and an increased cost of sales offset increased sales to yield the drop in profit.

Germany: Former HeidelbergCement executive director Rainer Nobis’ Illustrated History of Cement and Concrete is now available in hardback online. The book traces the development of artificially produced building materials over 12,000 years, describing both the technical sequence of events and the political and economic environments in which they took place.

An unnamed reviewer said "The book is outstanding and comes at the right time. It has never been more necessary to recall the positive contribution of cement and concrete to mankind or to make it explainable. [Nobis] has more than succeeded!"

Germany: A consortium of Mexico-based Cemex subsidiary Cemex Deutschland, Uckerwerk Energietechnik subsidiary Enertrag and hydrogen specialist Sunfire has announced a cement industry decarbonisation project called Concrete Chemicals. The project will see sequestered CO₂ combined with hydrogen to produce hydrocarbons for use as cement fuel. The consortium has submitted a funding application to the German Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety for a trial at Cemex’s Rüdersdorf, Brandenburg, cement plant. This would help in the realisation of the plant’s 2030 carbon neutrality target. Alongside a 5000t/yr demonstration plant, the site will have a green hydrogen plant, supplied by Sunfire. When commissioned in 2025, the plant will produce synthetic fuels and other hydrocarbon fractions. The consortium is also investigating a methanol synthesis route using synthetic gas.

Europe, Middle East and Africa regional president Sergio Menendez said “We support the urgency of action to address the climate challenge and have committed to a 55% reduction in CO2 from our 1990 baseline in our European operations by 2030. Together with our industry partners, we can collectively transform ourselves into a CO₂-neutral world. Concrete Chemicals is a promising project.”

Greece: Titan Cement has received the validation of the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) for its CO₂ emissions reduction targets. The validation confirms that the company’s targets are in line with a well-below 2°climate change scenario.

The group aims to reduce Scope 1 emissions per tonne of cementitious product by 21% by 2030 from 2020, and to reduce Scope 2 emissions by 42% within the same parameters. Additionally, it has committed to drive down the CO₂ footprint of its operations and products with the aim of delivering 100% carbon-neutral concrete by 2050. Methods include increasing the use of alternative fuels, accelerating efficiency-improving initiatives, developing low-carbon products, and adopting innovative technologies and solutions. The company says that it will also monitor and independently verify its supply chain emissions.

It said “Through the participation in European and international consortia, as well as through collaborations in research and development, Titan Group will continue to develop low-carbon cementitious products and pilot carbon capture technologies in its plants, actively contributing to the industry’s ambition for a carbon-neutral future.”