Displaying items by tag: Clinker

Ghana: Alan Kyerematen, the Minister for Trade and Industry, has blamed the increasing price of cement on negative currency exchange effects and growing fuel prices. He informed the Parliament of Ghana that the cost to import clinker has risen significantly, according to the Ghana News Agency. Kyerematen also noted that the cost of freight has surged due to the coronavirus pandemic and then the war in Ukraine.

Morocco: LafargeHolcim Maroc is preparing to export clinker to West Africa in early July 2022. The shipment will be the plant’s second clinker export following a consignment of 40,000t to Guinea, according to the Les Eco newspaper. The plant, based near Tidsi, has been operational since late 2021.

France: Holcim France has announced its successful industrial-scale production of the world's first 100% recycled clinker. The La Tribune newspaper has reported that the company's Altkirch, Alsace, cement plant produced the clinker. Holcim France chief executive officer Francois Petry said that the plant's team collaborated with researchers at the Holcim Innovation Center to develop a recipe that incorporated multiple waste streams, including mineral wastes and wood ash. The producer says that most of the waste materials were locally sourced.

India: Star Cement plans to invest US$129m to establish a new 3Mt/yr clinker line. BusinessLine Online News has reported that producer currently operates 2.8Mt/yr-worth of clinker capacity across two units in Meghalaya. Star Cement says that it plans to increase its presence in the Northeast India, Bihar and West Bengal markets. It will additionally invest US$90 – 103m to establish two new grinding units with a combined capacity of 4Mt/yr at Guwahati and Silchar in Assam.

Star Cement said that projected infrastructure investment growth in Northeast India inspired its investment decision, while it opted for a 3Mt/yr kiln over a 2Mt/yr alternative due to the improved efficiencies it offers.

India: Jindal Group has signed a memorandum of understanding with the state government of Chhattisgarh for the establishment of its planned Raigarh cement plant. The Times of India newspaper has reported that the plant will have an integrated capacity of 2.5Mt/yr, in addition to a further 2.5Mt/yr in clinker capacity. It will also operate a 12MW waste heat recovery (WHR) plant.

Vietnam: Vietnam National Cement Association (VNCA) members exported 15.5Mt of cement in the first five months of 2022, down by 14% year-on-year from 16.2Mt in the corresponding period of 2021. The value of the cement and clinker was US$693m, up slightly from US$690m.

In May 2022, Vietnam exported 1.5Mt of cement and clinker, with a value US$92m, down by 52% in volume and up by 29% in value year-on-year.

Saudi Arabia: Southern Province Cement has completed technical studies and commenced construction of a new 5000t/day line at its Jazan cement plant. The company will also build the infrastructure for another 5000t/day line at the site. Reuters new has reported that, together, the lines will replace the plant’s existing production lines.

India: India Cements’ fourth-quarter sales were US$183m in its 2022 financial year, which ended on 31 March 2022, down by 4% year-on-year from US$190m in the corresponding quarter of the 2021 Indian financial year. The producer’s net loss was US$1.37m, as against a first-quarter 2021 financial year net profit of US$6.47m. During the quarter, the company’s cement sales volumes fell by 1.4% to 2.63Mt from 2.67Mt, while its clinker sales volumes fell by 88% to 38,000t from 324,000t. For the full 2022 financial year, India Cements’ sales of cement rose by 2% to 9.07Mt from 8.9Mt. Coal costs ended the financial year at US$300/t, five times the 31 March 2021 price of US$60/t.

India Cements said “The spiralling prices of fuel, along with the shortage in availability of the same, affected the margins of the industry. The woes of the industry worsened further with the outbreak of Russia's war with Ukraine resulting in sanctions being imposed on Russia and its exports, fuelling further shortage of coal and oil in the market.”

India: UltraTech Cement has successfully commissioned a second clinker line with a capacity of 2.7Mt/yr at its Hirmi cement plant in Chhattisgarh. The company says that it is on track to also commission a new 1.3Mt/yr grinding unit at the plant in mid-2022.

Peru: Cementos Pacasmayo recorded consolidated sales of US$140m in the first quarter of 2022, up by 13% year-on-year from US$124m in the first quarter of 2021. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) also rose, by 21% year-on-year to US$128m from US$105m. The company said that its strong revenue generation enabled earnings growth despite cost increases. Its reliance on imported clinker to meet growing demand increased Cementos Pacasmayo’s exposure to the effects of inflation.

During the quarter, Cementos Pacasmayo produced 882,000t of cement across its three facilities, down by 4.4% year-on-year. The plants’ clinker production rose by 6.7% to 568Mt from 532Mt in the first quarter of 2021.