Displaying items by tag: Europe

Ireland/UK: Mannok has completed Phase 1 of a two-phase upgrade to its pyroprocessing system with the installation of a new satellite burner in collaboration with FLSmidth. The €2.5m project enables the use of solid recovered fuel (SRF) as a replacement for coal, achieving up to 30% substitution and reducing CO₂ emissions by 23,000t/yr.

Phase 2 will involve upgrading the main burner to a Jetflex system, targeting 65–70% coal substitution across the kiln. Mannok produces about 1.4Mt/yr of cement for customers across the UK and Ireland.

Greece: Heracles Group, a member of Holcim, has commissioned a 6.5MW solar power station at its Milaki plant, equipped with more than 11,000 panels. The facility is now fully operational.

The installation is expected to generate about 10,000MW/yr of electricity, covering a significant share of the plant’s energy needs and cutting CO₂ emissions by 2350t/yr.

UK: Cement production dropped to 7.3Mt in 2024, the lowest level since 1950 and around 50% of 1990 volumes, according to the Mineral Products Association (MPA). Imports have nearly tripled over the past 20 years, rising from 12% of sales in 2008 to 32% in 2024, leaving supply chains more dependent on volatile international markets.

Diana Casey, executive director for cement and lime at the MPA, said “We’re calling on the government to help put domestic production on a level playing field so that it can compete fairly with imports. The UK has a choice: to build these vital development projects with UK-made cement, or to build them with imports – sending jobs, investment and economic growth overseas.”

The MPA said that high energy, regulatory and labour costs are threatening competitiveness and jobs, with 40% of cement produced in the Peak District and 60% across the rest of the UK. The group said the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) due in 2027 must be paired with a procurement policy that prioritises domestic cement.

France: Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies recorded revenues of €3.5m in the first half of 2025, up by 8% year-on-year, driven by increased cement sales volumes. Earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) were -€5.7m, down from -€3.1m in the first half of 2024. Net income stood at -€8.4m, compared to -€5.0m in the first half of 2024, following higher depreciation and amortisation charges.

Production reached 19,640t, more than 2.5 times the 7833t produced in the first half of 2024, already exceeding total 2024 volumes. Cement was supplied to over 130 sites nationwide, producing more than 60,000m³ of clinker-free concrete delivered by 10,000 truck mixers. The company targets 50,000t of cement sold by the end of 2025 and positive EBITDA, subject to the signing of new licensing agreements.

Co-founders Julien Blanchard and David Hoffmann said “The first half of 2025 was characterised by a significant increase in our production volumes. Unlike the first half of 2024, during which we received a €2m entry fee from our American partner, all of our half-yearly revenue for 2025 is generated from cement sales, reflecting its growing adoption within the construction sector. Finally, we reiterate all of our objectives for 2030 and are targeting sales of 50,000t by the end of 2025, with the second half of the year traditionally being more favourable to the company's activity.”

Belarus: Construction materials producer Krasnoselskstroymaterialy (Grodno Oblast) plans to begin production of fibre cement boards, according to CEO Alexander Golda. He said “We are currently working on a new type of product – fibre cement boards – and have already prepared an initial business plan. Our cement will account for more than 80% of the composition of this product.”

Golda added that the company is working to increase output and replace materials such as silicate bricks, which are becoming obsolete on the market.

Latvia: Schwenk Cement Latvija has inaugurated a carbon capture test base at the Brocēni cement plant, according to a post on Linkedin by the producer. Throughout 2025, several technologies will be tested at the site to determine the best solution for Brocēni and Schwenk’s other plants. The Broceni carbon capture and storage (CCS) project aims to capture 800,000t/yr of CO₂. The event was attended by Latvian prime minister Evika Silina, German embassy representative Heike Janče and staff members from Schwenk Latvija.

The final investment decision is planned for 2027, with completion in 2030. Schwenk said the project will strengthen exports to Estonia, Finland and Sweden and establish a regional value chain for low-CO₂ cement.

Portugal: Cement consumption reached 1.97Mt in the first half of 2025, down by 2.2% year-on-year, according to the construction industry association AICCOPN. In the same period, permits issued for construction and rehabilitation of residential buildings rose by 14% to 10,262. The number of licensed new housing units saw a ‘significant increase’ of 26%, totalling 20,613 new dwellings.

Ukraine/Ireland: Divinereach, a company led by Hyundai Ireland chair Eugene O’Reilly, has bought a 25% stake in Dyckerhoff Ukraine from CRH, according to Business Post Ireland. The sale was a condition of CRH’s 2024 acquisition of Dyckerhoff from Italy-based Buzzi.

Local competitor Kovalska has opposed the Dyckerhoff acquisition, arguing it created a duopoly with CemIn West and gave CRH a 46% market share, exceeding limits under Ukrainian and EU monopoly law.

CRH has defended its position, saying the acquisition was completed in accordance with accepted international practice, in full compliance with all legislative requirements and with the approval of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU).

CRH said “While we are monitoring the legal challenge to the AMCU approval in Ukraine... we are focused on investing in our businesses and supporting our employees.”

Kovalska plans to appeal the AMCU’s approval of the acquisition to the Ukrainian supreme court in September 2025.

Norway: TotalEnergies, Equinor and Shell have announced that the first CO₂ volumes were transported by ship from Heidelberg Materials’ Brevik cement plant to Northern Lights’ Øygarden facilities. They were then injected 2600m under the seabed, 100km off the coast of western Norway. Phase one of the project has a storage capacity of 1.5Mt/yr. A second phase, approved in March 2025, will expand capacity to more than 5Mt/yr from 2028.

TotalEnergies’ senior vice president of carbon neutrality Arnaud Le Foll said “With the start of operations of Northern Lights, we are entering a new phase for the CCS industry in Europe. This industry now moves to reality, offering hard-to-abate sectors a credible and tangible way to reduce CO₂ emissions.”

Germany: A major clean-up operation is underway at Heidelberg Materials’ Burglengenfeld plant in Bavaria following a fire on 17 August 2025. The fire began in the plant’s waste plastic fuel storage hall and was attended by more than 340 firefighters, who managed to prevent it spreading to other areas of the plant. Waste plastic is the Burglengenfeld plant’s main fuel.

The damage is nevertheless considerable, amounting at least to ‘ hundreds of thousands of Euros,’ according to plant manager Bernhard Reindl. He also announced that a structural engineer will inspect the hall's structure in the coming days. It is already clear that the roof will have to be at least partially dismantled and replaced.

However, despite the disruption, cement production has been able to continue, with lignite being used on a temporary basis until the waste plastic fuel facility is repaired. The kiln is reported to be operating at 80% of its usual capacity.

How the fire in the warehouse started remains unclear, but Reindl suspects a smouldering fire, similar to a considerably smaller one that affected the same building in October 2024. Burglengenfeld police station has begun an investigation into the cause.