
Displaying items by tag: Asia
Nepal: The government plans to shut down Udayapur Cement Industry, which operates the Jaljale cement plant, in mid-July 2025. The República newspaper has reported that the government has received a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between workers, local people and political parties to contest the closure. Critics reportedly accuse the government of trying to bankrupt the company in order to sell it.
Australia: Minister for Climate Change and Minister Chris Bowen says that the government is ‘considering’ the enactment of a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to prevent carbon leakage from high emissions-intensity products, including cement.
The Australian Parliament committed to 43% national CO2 emissions reduction between 2005 and 2030 in 2022, and capped emitters’ individual carbon footprints in 2023. Final advice from a government Carbon Leakage Review was due after May 2025, and was possibly complicated by on-going US climate and trade reforms under President Trump. The Australian Cement Industry Federation bemoaned a lack of action on carbon leakage in March 2025. It warned of jeopardy to both decarbonisation and 1400 jobs in the Australian cement sector.
Australia’s construction industry imported 40% of its cement used in 2024.
India: Management guidance for Indian cement demand growth in the 2026 financial year for ‘most companies’ in the sector was 6 – 7% year-on-year.
In the 2025 financial year, UltraTech Cement and JK Cement raised their cement sales volumes by 17% and 15% year-on-year respectively, due to to demand recovery and the effects of new acquisitions. Ambuja Cement’s volumes grew by 13%, while Dalmia Cement Bharat’s fell by 2% and Ramco Cements’ by 5%.
The Business Standard newspaper has reported that the all-India cement capacity ended the 2025 financial year at 655Mt/yr, up by 5% year-on-year. 60Mt/yr-worth of new cement production capacity is due to come online later in the 2026 financial year, which would increase that figure by a further 9%.
India: Grasim Industries accepted bids worth US$117m in an issue of bonds on 5 June, Reuters has reported. The bonds reportedly have a maturity of five years.
Dalmia Cement (Bharat) announces US$122m bonds sale
06 June 2025India: Dalmia Cement (Bharat) plans to raise US$122m through the issue of bonds maturing in seven and 10 years. Reuters has reported that the sale includes a greenshoe option of US$34.9m. The producer will receive coupon and commitment bids for both options from 11 June 2025.
Japanese cement sales in decline
04 June 2025Japan: Domestic cement sales in April 2025 fell by 5% year-on-year to 2.6Mt, according to the Japan Cement Association. This marked the 32nd consecutive monthly decline, attributed to reduced construction hours under overtime restrictions. The Tohoku and Chugoku regions recorded the steepest falls, with labour shortages and rising construction costs driving the decline in Chugoku. Domestic demand has been in decline for six consecutive years, and continues to decline due to a combination of factors including the chronic labour shortage at construction sites, rising construction costs and the longer construction period due to the introduction of a full two-day weekend system at construction sites in recent years.
Uzbekistan: Local cement companies produced 4.76Mt of cement between January and April 2025, up by 5.5% year-on-year from 4.51Mt in 2024, according to the National Statistical Committee. Output was from 3.27Mt in 2023.
Katavsky Cement modernises kiln
03 June 2025Russia: Katavsky Cement has modernised rotary kiln No. 4, raising clinker production capacity by 15% from 888,000t/yr to 927,000t/yr. According to Cemros, the project formed part of a corporate programme of improvements to increase production efficiency, valued at around US$760,000. Specialists reportedly encountered the problem of clinker defects when increasing the feed of raw meal due to insufficient heat exchange in the kiln system. To eliminate the problem, the plant updated the cyclone heat exchanger, stabilised the air supply and combustion of additional fuel, and improved the clinker cooling system.
General director Vyacheslav Lyubimtsev said “Modernisation of kiln No. 4 is a consistent step in the development of the plant. In 2024, similar work was carried out to increase the productivity of furnace No. 3 by 30%. The new result confirms the effectiveness of the chosen strategy.”
Kazakhstan: China-based Sinoma Cement will build a new integrated cement plant in the Baiganinsky district of the Aktobe region, in partnership with Kazakh investment firm Pimus Capital. The 3500t/day capacity plant is scheduled for launch in the second half of 2027. The US$200m project is expected to create 1260 jobs. It will reduce reliance on cement imports, particularly from Russia and Iran, and meet growing demand from western Kazakhstan’s construction sector. The company has reportedly completed geological work to confirm reserves and quality of raw materials and concluded an investment agreement. This is Sinoma Cement’s first project in central Asia, and it said it plans to invest in more projects in Kazakhstan.
Kyrgyzstan: The Ministry of Economy and Commerce has initiated a discussion on a draft cabinet resolution to classify cement as a socially significant good, enabling the government to regulate its price amid concerns over unjustified increases. The ministry said the move would stabilise the construction market, reduce housing costs and improve affordability, as price increases have hindered the construction of social and infrastructure projects. Officials said the only likely negative impact would be reduced profits for producers and intermediaries under market volatility. The draft is open for public discussion until 13 June 2025.
The Kyrgyz cabinet previously lifted a cement import ban to ease supply constraints and meet rising demand.