France: Climate protest group Earth Uprising says that it will target sites belonging to Holcim subsidiary Lafarge France for demonstrations as part of planned actions between 9 and 12 December 2023. Ouest France News has reported that the demonstrations will include a ‘festive but determined’ gathering at Lafarge France’s Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou concrete plant in Maine-et-Loire on 10 December 2023.

Lafarge France said “The people who intend to respond to this call for mobilisation against our sites have the wrong target. Of all industrial sectors, ours is moving the fastest and strongest in favour of the climate.” It added “Moreover, we are useful to society. The country's needs for housing, public facilities and infrastructure are immense, and concrete represents the best solution to meet them.”

US: Mexico-based GCC has hired ThyssenKrupp Polysius North America to build a 3000t/day clinker production line at its Odessa plant in Texas. When commissioned in late 2025, the line is expected to more than double the plant’s clinker capacity to 2Mt/yr across three kilns. The supplier says the project will also lower the plant’s annual CO₂ emissions by 13%.

GCC chief executive officer Enrique Escalante said "We remain strongly committed to delivering strong stakeholder value, while investing in the future growth of our business. With the expansion of the Odessa plant, we will ensure GCC is prepared for a new phase of the industry cycle."

India: Adani Group says that it will power 60% of its cement production using renewable energy by 2028. In a post on X, the group noted that its Adani Cement business uses fly ash or slag in cement production at 90% of its plants.

UAE/UK: The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has welcomed the launch of the Canada/UAE co-led Cement Breakthrough Initiative at the COP28 climate conference in Dubai on 6 December 2023. Prior to the launch of the initiative, the GCCA hosted a roundtable for representatives of the cement industry and governments.

GCCA chief executive officer Thomas Guillot said "We support and welcome the launch of the Cement Breakthrough Initiative. Cement and concrete are essential for so much of our modern world and will also be needed for meeting the challenges ahead. They will play a key role in providing resilient and sustainable infrastructure and safely housing communities around our planet. Our member companies are fully committed to a net zero future – and it will take the combined efforts of industry and government to deliver on this commitment. This is the decade to deliver, and we are delighted to work with the Cement Breakthrough Initiative and the government of Canada to accelerate the transition."

Belarus: The US government sanctioned the management company of Belarusian Cement Company on 6 December 2023. PrimePress News has reported that 10 other Belarus-based companies and eight individuals were also added to the US sanctions list. This is the latest group of additions since the US and its allies began sanctioning Belarusian entities in connection to election rigging, human rights abuses and complicity in the on-going Russian invasion of Ukraine.

US: Germany-based drives supplier Flender has received the Supplier Excellence Recognition Award 2023 from engineering firm Caterpillar. The award recognises suppliers that demonstrate a commitment to excellence and drive a zero-defect culture. Caterpillar said that Flender exceeded 95% delivery reliability, with zero defects, during 2023. Contracts included gearboxes, remanufactured gearboxes, spare parts and couplings for Caterpillar’s 7495 Rope Shovel. The 7495 Rope Shovel is used in quarrying, including in the cement industry.

Caterpillar’s senior vice president strategic procurement and planning Pam Heminger said “Caterpillar’s reputation for world-class products and services stands on the shoulders of our global and diverse team – and that team includes our international and diverse supply network. By working together, we can deliver on our purpose to help our customers build a better, more sustainable world.”

India: Ambuja Cements has completed its acquisition of a 54% stake in Sanghi Industries for an enterprise value of US$622m. It has funded the purchase through internal accruals. Following the acquisition, Ambuja Cement’s parent company, Adani Group, now has a cement capacity of 75Mt/yr, up by 9% from 69Mt/yr. It has also gained 1Bnt of limestone reserves.

Ambuja Cements said that the transaction would allow it to accelerate its coastal strategy in the west of the country with the aim of reaching a regional cement production capacity of 15Mt/yr. It intends to expand the captive port at the Sanghipuram cement plant to accommodate larger vessels to target markets in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala by 2026. Debottlenecking, fuel mix changes and solar and wind projects are also being considering at the site.

US: Terra CO₂ has entered into an exclusive agreement with Eagle Materials, under which the cement producer will set up plants to produce Terra CO₂’s supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) in three cities, including Greater Denver in Colorado. Terra CO2's SCM consists of ground, heated glass spheres made from silicate-containing igneous rocks and sediments, which can be used in cement production to lower CO₂ emissions by 70% compared to ordinary Portland cement (OPC).

Terra CO₂'s chief executive officer Bill Yearsley said “New climate tech needs to be deployed quickly to meet 2030 and 2050 climate goals. Terra is working hard to accelerate the deployment of its commercial plants through strategic partnerships, deploying more capital and shortening timelines. We are thrilled to work with a partner like Eagle Materials to build commercial plants for sustainable construction, and act on this urgency through our shared commitment to action. In the absence of a 'climate tech express lane' from the government, working with industry leaders is key to innovating and expediting low-carbon solutions for the industry."

Kenya: Frontier Energy subsidiary Momnai Energy has begun building two solar power plants at sites belonging to Bamburi Cement. One 14.5MW plant will be situated at the producer’s 1.1Mt/yr Mombasa cement plant, while another 5MW plant will be situated at its Nairobi grinding plant. When commissioned, they will cover 30% of the producer’s energy consumption. Momnai Energy will finance, manage and maintain the solar power plants on the basis of a power purchase agreement (PPA) signed between the parties in 2021.

Bamburi Cement chief executive officer Mohit Kapoor said that the project ‘represents one of Kenya's most substantial commercial solar endeavours undertaken by a cement company, and a first for Holcim in Sub-Saharan Africa.’ He added that it will lead to cost savings, reduced vulnerability to load shedding and ‘substantial’ progress towards achieving net zero CO₂ emissions.

UK: The World Cement Association (WCA) has welcomed the introduction of the revised BS 8500 standard, which allows for a wider range of Portland limestone cement (PLC) and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) combinations in concrete. WCA chief executive officer Ian Riley, however, described the revision as ‘not breaking new ground but catching up.’ He called on the UK and other jurisdictions to begin enacting performance-based standards.

Riley said “It is good to see BSI making this change to concrete standards, however, this is still a very modest step forward. Firstly, ground limestone has been used successfully as a cement component in many markets for decades. Secondly, in order to produce concrete with the lowest embodied carbon and the highest circularity, we need to move away from standards that require particular recipes.”