UK: Breedon Group recorded a 7% year-on-year increase in revenue of €1.73bn in 2023. Earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) were €171m, down by 2%.

CEO Rob Wood said “The record results we delivered in 2023 are a real accomplishment and something I am extremely proud of. The challenging trading conditions our team faced required agile and bold responses which they took with discipline and determination.”

France: Representatives from the global cement and concrete industry will meet in Paris on 7- 8 March 2024 for the Global Buildings and Climate Forum. Industry leaders will seek to set out a framework for sustainable, decarbonised buildings.

Global Cement & Concrete Association CEO Thomas Guillot said “Our industry has been leading the way on decarbonisation through the implementation of our 2050 Net Zero Concrete Roadmap, and as our Roadmap sets out we are committed to fully decarbonising this essential material.”

Bruno Pillon, Chair the French cement association France Ciment, said “France and the whole world will still need to rely on cement and concrete for future infrastructure. But it’s really important that the cement and construction sectors, governments and suppliers all work together to achieve our net zero goal.”

Nigeria: Lafarge Africa revealed its 2023 financial results, with profit dropping by 4.7% year-on-year to US$32.6m, compared to US$34.2m in 2022.

CEO Lolu Alade-Akinyemi said “The fundamentals of our business remain strong in spite of extremely challenging macroeconomic headwinds.”

Egypt: The Arabian Cement Company has reported a 36% year-on-year rise in its sales, reaching US$124m in 2023. Profits also saw a substantial jump, up by 94% to US$14.3m in 2023 from US$7.37m in 2022.

Czech Republic: Engineering company Aliacem started trial operation in February 2024 of an upgrade project to the preheater at Cement Hranice’s integrated plant. The project was reportedly completed on schedule, met quality standards and occurred without any injuries. Cement Hranice is a subsidiary of Italy-based Buzzi.

Netherlands: EMC Cement and HES International plan to build a 1.2Mt/yr plant in Amsterdam to produce an alternative cement that contains 70% volcanic ash. The cement will also include recycled concrete fines. Production will be carbon neutral and consume 90% less energy than traditional ordinary Portland cement production. The Amsterdam plant is scheduled for commissioning by early 2026.

EMC Cement CEO Atle Lygren said "Our EMC Technology, by replacing 70% of Portland cement clinker, enables significant climate action without the need for costly carbon capture and storage, aligning with the demands of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change."

Spain: Cemex España plans to install a new tertiary mill in its Alicante cement plant’s refuse-derived fuel (RDF) line. The project, called Molentis, is scheduled for completion in early 2025 and will cost €6m. The Molentis upgrade will help the Alicante cement plant to raise its RDF substitution rate by 8%, according to the producer. This in turn will reduce its CO₂ emissions by 6700t/yr. The Spanish Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism granted €4.4m toward the project to Cemex España under its Innovation and Sustainability Plan.

Cemex España director of operations Benjamín Cabrera said "Molentis will enable us to advance towards climate neutrality and position the Alicante factory at the forefront of new technologies in the decarbonised industry."

India: Everest Industries is constructing a fibre cement boards and wall panels plant in Chamarajanagar district, Karnataka, with an investment of US$22.6m. The new facility, located on an 8.09 hectare plot in the Kellambali-Badanaguppe industrial area, will be operational later in March 2024. It will produce 72,000Mt/yr of fibre cement boards and 19,000Mt/yr of Rapicon wall panels. The company specialises in the production of fibre cement boards.

The plant is expected to generate 127 job opportunities.

India: Adani Group will invest US$603m in the construction of a 4Mt/yr clinker plant at Chorgadi and grinding plants in Dewas and Bhopal. The combined capacity will be 8Mt/yr. The move is part of a US$9bn investment which the company says will create 15,000 jobs across various sectors.

Germany: Australia-based Calix confirmed that its LEILAC-2 project will take place at Heidelberg Materials’ cement plant in Ennigerloh, Germany. This follows Heidelberg Materials' decision to cease clinker production at its Hanover cement plant. The project, which aims to capture CO₂ emissions from cement production, already has a system design ready for construction at Ennigerloh.

LEILAC CEO Daniel Rennie said "The LEILAC technology represents a scalable and economical solution to address the carbon dioxide emissions produced unavoidably by the cement and lime industries, and the rapid demonstration of such solutions is essential to achieving our industrial decarbonisation goals."