Displaying items by tag: Clinker

Türkiye: Cement exporter Medcem has secured contracts for 5.5Mt of cement and clinker for 2026, up from 4.8Mt in 2025, according to Platts, part of S&P Global Energy. The deals include 4Mt of bulk cement and 1Mt of bagged cement for the US market. Medcem also signed clinker contracts totalling 1.5Mt, including 0.5Mt of low-chromium clinker for Europe and standard clinker for other markets such as West Africa.

“Compared to 2025, our prices and volumes are higher for 2026, unlike other exporting countries who’ve had to maintain their prices or give a discount,” said CEO Murat Sahin. He added that, to support growing demand, Medcem is expanding its grinding capacity by nearly 1Mt/yr by 2027, increasing its total capacity from 7.5Mt/yr to 9Mt/yr.

Taiwan: Taiwan Cement has voiced support for government efforts to reduce the country’s growing reliance on imported cement, warning that the trend could undermine domestic producers and jobs.

The remarks come after locally-owned Universal Cement announced it would stop buying from Taiwan Cement and shift entirely to imported cement and clinker from elsewhere, including Japan, Indonesia and Vietnam, to satisfy its demand of 1Mt/yr. Environment Minister Peng Chi-ming raised concerns over the rising imports, said that the imports raise concerns about carbon footprints and encouraged reducing reliance on imported cement. Taiwan Cement chair Chang An-ping said that the issue was not just environmental. “Taiwan risks becoming a dumping ground for surplus cement from foreign markets,” he said, which could affect domestic workers. He showed customs data that export prices to Taiwan are lower than domestic prices in exporting countries.

Chang criticised the lack of reciprocity in Taiwan’s zero-tariff policy on cement imports and said that the anti-dumping duties on Vietnamese cement introduced in July 2025 had failed to stop prices from falling. He also called for consistent carbon verification standards. While domestic producers follow a strict ‘gross emissions’ approach verified by third parties, Chang said many Southeast Asian exporters use ‘net emissions’ accounting, which subtracts emissions avoided through waste treatment. Minister Peng confirmed plans to align verification of imported cement with local rules.

Kenya: Bamburi Cement has signed a US$250m engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with Sinoma CBMI to build a new 1.6Mt/yr clinker grinding plant in Matuga, Kwale County. The project is part of Bamburi’s strategy to more than double its clinker production from 1Mt/yr to 2.6Mt/yr and its cement capacity from 1.8Mt/yr to 4Mt/yr. The plant will feature a six-stage precalciner system and integrate technology to cut its emissions, including the use of alternative fuels such as coconut husks, cashew shells and municipal solid waste.

“The new clinker line will greatly reduce reliance on imported clinker, improving quality production consistency and securing supply for the domestic market,” said Bamburi Cement CEO Mohit Kapoor at the signing ceremony, which was also attended by President William Ruto. Kapoor added that the investment would save foreign exchange resources, stabilise prices and support rising demand from national infrastructure projects and private sector development.

India: UltraTech Cement has awarded Fuller Technologies the contract to supply two high-capacity clinker coolers for its upcoming production lines at Pali Cement Works in Rajasthan and Vikram Cement Works in Madhya Pradesh. Each cooler will have a capacity of 12,000t/day of clinker.

Global: Cement and clinker shipments rose by 13% year-on-year between January and November 2025, supported by a 39% increase in deliveries to Africa’s Atlantic coast, according to World Cargo News. BIMCO shipping analysis manager Filipe Gouveia attributed the growth to ‘strong economic growth, rapid urbanisation and significant infrastructure development’ across the region, which is largely import-dependent due to limited domestic clinker production capacity.

“Clinker capacity is particularly limited; although grinding facilities exist, manufacturers still rely on imported clinker, sustaining bulk shipments,” said Gouveia.

Beyond Africa, cement exports increased across East and Southeast Asia and the west coasts of Central and South America, while clinker volumes remained broadly stable. Asian producers, particularly China and Vietnam, have boosted low-priced exports amid overcapacity and weak demand.

“Chinese seaborne exports have more than doubled, up by 135% year-on-year, as domestic construction activity declines amid the country’s property crisis,” said Gouveia. “Vietnamese exports have grown by 16% year-on-year, maintaining Vietnam’s position as the world’s largest exporter with a 27% share of global shipments.”

The US, the world’s largest importer, saw only a 3% rise in shipments, despite recent tariff hikes. Gouveia said that imports from Vietnam and Türkiye have risen by 27% and 14% respectively, despite tariff increases, noting that US clinker production fell by 7% year-on-year from January-July 2025. Gouveia concluded that the global outlook for cement and clinker shipments remains positive, with African demand and intense price competition supporting trade, but cautioned that US building permits fell by 5% year-on-year between January-August 2025, indicating that US demand could slow in the short term.

Zimbabwe: Industry and Commerce Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu said that national cement supplies will significantly improve following the US$20m rehabilitation and restart of Khayah Cement’s clinker kiln, which resumed operations in early December 2025 after 26 months of inactivity. He said the resumption is a major intervention to meet national cement demand, which had been disrupted by a combination of issues including a breakdown at PPC’s Harare plant, scheduled maintenance at Sino Cement in Kwekwe, and delays at the border for clinker imports coming from Zambia. The Minister warned that while import permits were initially issued to stabilise prices, abuse of the system through unjustified price increases would not be tolerated and permits would not be renewed.

While PPC has returned to full production, clinker shortages persist, with two newly opened grinding plants in Hwange and Mashonaland West already closed due to lack of clinker. Ndlovu confirmed that discussions are underway to build a new grinding plant as a national strategic investment, which he said would cost between US$150m and US$200m.

US: Total shipments of Portland and blended cement, including imports, reached an estimated 9.99Mt in July 2025, up by 7% from July 2024. Year-to-date shipments totalled 57.0Mt, down by 3% from the same period in 2024. Texas, Missouri, California, Florida and Alabama were the top cement-producing states. Texas, California, Florida, Ohio and North Carolina together accounted for 38% of total shipments.

Clinker production in July 2025 totalled 6.64Mt, nearly unchanged from July 2024. Cumulative clinker output for January to July 2025 fell by 7% year-on-year to 37.5Mt. Missouri, California, Texas, Florida and Alabama produced the most clinker.

Iran: Cement output fell by 10% year-on-year to 31.7Mt in the first half of 1403 (21 March – 22 September 2025), down from 35.1Mt, according to Ali Akbar Alvandian, secretary of the Cement Industry Association. He attributed the decline to weaker domestic demand and energy constraints.

Clinker output also dropped by 10% in the first quarter (21 March – 21 June 2025), recovered in July and August 2025, then declined by 4.5% in September 2025. Cement production in the sixth month (22 August - 21 September) fell to 5.7Mt from 6.4Mt a year earlier.

Exports rose by 7% to 6.9Mt of cement and clinker, while domestic demand fell by about 10%. A nationwide power cut in May 2025 reportedly halted production and temporarily increased prices.

Syria: The country is relying on Iraq and nearby countries for fuel and clinker imports to operate its cement plants amid an ongoing fuel oil shortage, according to General Company for Cement and Building Materials head Mahmoud Fadila.

Fadila told state media that plants have shifted to coal temporarily and are importing clinker from Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye to maintain local supply. Syria currently produces 10,000t/day of cement, or 3.6Mt/yr, far short of the 8-9Mt/yr needed for reconstruction.

In October 2025, Damascus approved a major investment from Iraq’s Vertex Group to rehabilitate and expand the third line at the Hama Cement Plant. The project will raise its capacity from 3300t/day to 11,000t/day with the addition of a new 6000t/day line.

India: Ambuja Cements has commissioned a 4Mt/yr brownfield expansion of its clinker unit at Bhatapara, Chhattisgarh. The company confirmed the new capacity is fully operational, raising its consolidated clinker capacity to 66Mt/yr. Ambuja Cements has also increased its 2028 financial year capacity target to 155Mt/yr, up from 140Mt/yr, with the additional capacity to be achieved through debottlenecking.

The company will install 13 blenders across its plants over the next 12 months to optimise product mix and raise its premium product cement share. Planned logistics infrastructure upgrades are expected to improve capacity utilisation by 3% over the next two years.