Displaying items by tag: Clinker
Star Cement to establish new 3Mt/yr clinker line
06 June 2022India: 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.
Germany: HeidelbergCement’s first-quarter sales were Euro4.43bn in the first quarter of 2022, up by 12% year-on-year from Euro3.96bn in the first quarter of 2021. Its cement and clinker sales volumes remained level year-on-year at 28.4Mt. Sales grew in all regions except North America, where they fell by 6% to Euro798m from Euro849m. Cement and clinker sales volumes fell there by 17%, but rose in every other region.
Chair Dominik von Achten said “The first quarter of 2022 was not an easy one for HeidelbergCement. Despite the continuing uncertainties regarding the supply of energy and raw materials and the associated rise in energy prices, we were able to increase our revenue significantly.” Looking to the rest of 2022, von Achten said ”Although there is still a lot of uncertainty concerning energy and raw material availability and costs, we continue to see strong demand for our products in all regions. In particular, demand for sustainable, low-carbon products is growing rapidly.”
Sweden: UK-based Samson Materials Handling is supplying an Eco Hopper product for installation at the Port of Slite in Gotland. The hopper will be designed to receive clinker, limestone, coal and refuse-derived (RDF) fuel pellets. These materials will be unloaded at the quay area via crane grabs. The hopper will then discharge direct to trucks via a telescopic chute.
The Eco Hopper installation under normal operating conditions and based on the client’s grab sizes and cycle time, will achieve peak discharging rates of: 353t/hr - based on clinker with a bulk density of 1.4 t/m³; 454t/hr - based on limestone with a bulk material density range of 1.8 t/m³; and 420t/hr - based on RDF Pellets with a bulk material density of 0.6 t/m³.
The Eco Hopper product design concept comprises of a specialised reception hopper unit incorporating Integral filter arrangement with a reverse jet filter media cleaning system which returns all material back in to the material stream. In addition, the inlet system of the hopper is based on the Samson Flex-Flap design which reduces the volume of air necessary to control dust both from the opening grab and displaced air from material falling into the inner hopper below. This contributes to the reduction of airflow reducing filter and power requirements of the equipment.
Commissioning and operator training will be provided by Aumund Group Field Services.
China: China Resources Cement’s (CRC) turnover fell by 18% year-on-year to US$889m in the first quarter of 2022 from US$1.08bn in the same period in 2021. Its sales volumes of cement, clinker and concrete decreased by 34%, 12% and 23% respectively to 12.2Mt, 0.78Mt and 2.22Mm3 respectively. Its profit dropped by 43% to US$92.9m from US$164m.