Displaying items by tag: Clinker

Germany: Rohrdorfer has inaugurated a new pilot plant for tempered clays at its Rohrdorf cement facility in a ceremony attended by regional and state officials. They included Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Ministry of the Interior Daniela Ludwig, who cut the ribbon alongside Rohrdorfer managing director Mike Edelmann.

The pilot plant has been operational since July 2025 and activates up to 50t/day of raw clay through thermal treatment. Tempered clays can replace clinker in cement, reportedly helping to cut emissions by around 30%, according to the company. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection and the EU, and will receive up to €8.65m in funding.

Daniela Ludwig said “With this new plant, the Rohrdorf cement plant is once again proving that it is one of the most innovative companies in our region. Decarbonising the cement industry is a key task if Germany is to achieve its climate goals as planned.”

By the end of 2026, Rohrdorfer’s Net Zero Emission team will determine the optimal composition of raw clays and refine the thermal treatment process, paving the way for a large-scale facility capable of achieving up to 60% CO₂ reductions.

Mike Edelmann said “We’ve achieved a lot within our plants, but our influence ends at the factory gates. The lack of planning security regarding CO₂ transport and storage, uncompetitive electricity prices and an uncertain mining landscape are holding us back. We urgently need more support from policymakers if climate targets are to be met.”

Syria: The Ministry of Economy and Industry has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Iraq’s Vertex Investment Group to rehabilitate and expand the Hama Cement plant. The agreement covers the rehabilitation and operation of the plant’s third line, increasing capacity from 3300t/day to 5000t/day of clinker within 13 months. It also includes the construction of a new 6000t/day line, which will raise the plant’s total production capacity to around 11,000t/day over the next five years. The MoU also provides for worker training, application of international quality standards, and compliance with environmental and occupational safety requirements.

Malawi: Huaxin Cement successfully ignited its new 2000t/day clinker production line on 28 September 2025, marking the official start of trial production, according to a post on Linkedin by the producer. Once fully commissioned, the plant will add 0.8Mt/yr to the company’s cement capacity. The project reportedly incorporates energy-efficient equipment, low-carbon calcination technology and a full-process DCS automated control system, creating a closed loop from raw material crushing to packaging. The facility will generate 500 direct jobs, with 90% allocated to local workers.

Construction began on 28 October 2024 and was completed in just 11 months. The company said close coordination between the plant and EPC teams helped overcome multiple challenges to deliver the project.

Rwanda: Cement producer Cimerwa will invest about US$190m in a new clinker plant, aiming to reduce its dependence on imports and save an estimated US$2.88bn in foreign exchange over the next 25 years. CEO Mangesh Kumar Verma said the plant, which will be built in Musanze, is expected to begin operations within two years with a capacity of 0.72Mt/yr of clinker. The plant will meet the company’s local demand of 0.54Mt/yr, with the surplus exported. CIMERWA CEO, Mangesh Kumar Verma, said that if limestone reserves prove larger than expected, there is provision to add another line. The investment follows rising costs from importing clinker, which currently amount to around 0.36Mt/yr at a cost of US$3.7m–4.0m. Verma added that clinker makes up about 70% of cement production costs, rising to 95% when imported.

Cimerwa’s unaudited financial results for the nine months ending 30 June 2025 showed that revenues were up by 50% year-on-year to US$75m, driven largely by its July 2024 acquisition of Prime Cement. However, profit before tax dropped by 23% to US$7.7m, reportedly due to input cost increases and continued depreciation of the Rwandan Franc. The company said that the Musanze clinker plant will stabilise production costs and position Rwanda as a net exporter, supporting large-scale infrastructure projects such as the New International Airport in Bugesera.

India: Dalmia Bharat, through its subsidiaries, has announced a strategic investment of approximately US$397m in Maharashtra and Karnataka. The company will set up a 3.6Mt/yr clinker unit and a 3Mt/yr grinding unit at its existing Belgaum plant in Karnataka, alongside a new greenfield split grinding unit of 3Mt/yr in Pune, Maharashtra. The projects, funded through a mix of debt and internal accruals, are expected to be commissioned by the fourth quarter of the 2027 financial year. Following completion, and factoring in ongoing 2.9Mt/yr expansions in Assam and Bihar, Dalmia Bharat’s installed capacity will rise to 55.5Mt/yr.

The Belgaum expansion will strengthen supply in southern Maharashtra and deepen the company’s reach in Karnataka, while the Pune plant will focus on the untapped western Maharashtra markets.

Puneet Dalmia, managing director and CEO of Dalmia Bharat, said “This investment is a significant step in our Phase II expansion strategy, bringing us closer to strengthening our position as a pan-India player and to reach our intermittent goal of 75Mt/yr capacity by the 2028 financial year. The increase in our production capacity is primarily to meet the growing infrastructure demand in Western India.”

US: Total shipments of Portland and blended cement, including imports, were an estimated 9.16Mt in June 2025, a 2% decrease from 9.40Mt in June 2024, according to the latest US Geological Survey data. Shipments for the first six months of 2025 reached 47.0Mt, down by 5.3% year-on-year. The leading cement-consuming states were, in descending order, Texas, California, Florida, Ohio, and Illinois, which together accounted for 38% of total shipments in June 2025.

Clinker production, excluding Puerto Rico, was estimated at 6.29Mt in June 2025, down by 2% from 6.40Mt in the same month of 2024. For the first half of 2025, clinker output reached 30.8Mt, an 8% decline from 33.6Mt in the same period of 2024. Cement and clinker imports, including those through the San Juan customs district in Puerto Rico, totalled 2.61Mt in June 2025, an 11% increase compared with June 2024. Imports for the year to June 2025 reached 12.4Mt.

Mauritania/Algeria: Ciment du Nord has signed a supply agreement with Algeria’s state-owned Groupe Industriel des Ciments d’Algérie (GICA). The deal marks the first direct partnership between the two companies and will set clinker export volumes to Mauritania, with pricing terms still reportedly under negotiation.

“Thanks to this agreement, we will import the raw materials needed to manufacture cement directly from Algeria. The Mauritanian market is important, and this partnership will have a positive impact,” said Mohamed Abdallah Ould Zein, CEO of Ciment du Nord. Ould Zein added that the agreement is expected to strengthen Mauritania’s cement industry by securing direct clinker supply from Algeria and reducing reliance on intermediaries.

Peru: National cement dispatches reached 1.15Mt in August 2025, up by 4.4% year-on-year, according to the Asociación de Productores de Cemento (ASOCEM). On a 12-month rolling basis, dispatches grew by 3% year-on-year. Cement production stood at 1.04Mt, a 2% increase compared to August 2024 and 1% higher over the 12-month cumulative period. In contrast, clinker production dropped to 630,000t, down by 20% year-on-year and 12% lower on a 12-month basis.

Cement exports fell by 6% to 10,962t compared to August 2024, though they rose 10% over the 12 months. Clinker exports reached 72,006t, down by 3% and 11% lower across the 12-month cumulative period. Imports of cement saw a significant 565% increase to 10,763t, up by 109% over the 12-month period. Clinker imports stood at 35,396t, falling by 56% from August 2024 but still 43% higher in the 12-month comparison.

India: Birla Corporation plans to raise its cement production capacity from 20Mt/yr to 27.6Mt/yr by 2028 – 2029 by building grinding units and clinker lines, according to The Pioneer newspaper. Chair Harsh Lodha told shareholders at the company’s annual general meeting that the expansion will require a capital expenditure of US$492m.

Nigeria: Dangote Cement despatched 481,000t of clinker from Nigeria to its subsidiaries in Cameroon and Ghana in the first half of 2025, according to its latest activity report. While country-specific volumes were not disclosed, the company said that the supply ensured production continuity in these key markets and helped mitigate volatility in international clinker prices.

The group’s 1.5Mt/yr clinker grinding plant in Douala, Cameroon, sold 687,000t of cement in the first half of 2025, down by 3% from 710,000t in the same period of 2024. Dangote Cement attributed the decline to a temporary slowdown in demand.

Despite this, the outlook remains positive, supported by major infrastructure projects such as the Douala–Yaoundé highway and nationwide road rehabilitation. “These initiatives should maintain sustained cement demand in the medium term, despite uncertainties linked to the general elections scheduled for October 2025,” the report stated.

In Congo, however, sales stagnated at 446,000t in the first half of 2025 due to logistical challenges that limited exports, despite the resumption of public projects.

Looking ahead, Dangote Cement is moving forward with its long-delayed expansion in Cameroon. Bertrand Mbouck, General Manager of Dangote Cement Cameroon, confirmed that construction of a second plant had officially commenced after receiving government approval. The project, first announced in 2015 by Group CEO Aliko Dangote, was originally given a 20-month duration.