Displaying items by tag: Europe

Hungary: ID Energy Group inaugurated a 28.5MW solar park at Holcim Magyarorszag's cement plant in Kiralyegyhaza on 12 May 2025. The new facility will supply around 30% of the plant’s electricity needs and was built under a power purchase agreement, according to MTI news.

Greece: Titan Cement reported a ‘positive start to the year’, having recorded sales of €638m in the first quarter of 2025, up by 2% year-on-year. Aggregates sales rose by 18% and ready-mix concrete saw an increase of 6%, while cement volumes remained flat year-on-year. The company said that the impact of severe weather conditions in both the US and Southeast Europe weighed on sales volumes in these regions, however, the strong performance in Greece, as well as the significant rise in cement exports from Egypt, mitigated those effects.

It reported an earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of €123m, an increase of 12% year-on-year. Profit before tax increased by 3% to €66.6m. Titan is ‘cautiously optimistic’ for the remainder of the year, despite global uncertainties.

Spain: A local cement manufacturer will integrate ‘green’ hydrogen into its production process using a 2MW Neptune II electrolyser from Uk-based supplier ITM Power, according to H2 View news. The electrolyser will supply hydrogen to be co-fired with natural gas in the cement kiln, expected to reduce CO₂ emissions. The method was previously demonstrated in 2021, when Hanson UK (now Heidelberg Materials) and MPA trialled hydrogen co-firing in cement production. It will be the first time that ITM has deployed the system in the cement industry.

Germany: Heidelberg Materials increased its revenue by 5% year-on-year to €4.71bn in the first quarter of 2025. Operating earnings from current operations rose slightly to €235m from €232m in the previous year.

“Despite the political and economic uncertainties as well as difficult weather conditions in some regions, we got off to a very good start to the 2025 financial year,” chair Dominik von Achten said. “In particular, we benefitted from significant growth in the Africa-Mediterranean-Western Asia group area.”

He added “In the first three months of 2025, we continued to set the course for our sustainable transformation. Final preparations for our CCS lighthouse project in Brevik, Norway, are currently well underway. We started capturing, liquefying and temporarily storing CO₂ a few days ago as part of the plant's ramp-up. We look forward to the grand opening of the world's first large-scale industrial carbon capture facility at a cement plant in June.”

The company confirmed its outlook for the 2025 financial year. It expects full-year earnings of €3.25bn – €3.55bn.

Sweden: A court has granted Heidelberg Materials a 30-year licence to continue limestone mining at its Slite quarry on the island of Gotland, securing the future of the plant that produces 75% of Sweden’s cement. The court ruling replaces a 2022 four-year concession and follows a 2021 rejection of a long-term extension that had threatened cement rationing and job losses, according to Reuters.

Heidelberg Materials deputy CEO Karin Comstedt Webb said “The permit ensures a robust supply of cement to Sweden's construction sector for many years.”

Portugal: Cimpor will invest €155m in establishing a new research and development centre focused on sustainable construction, CO₂ reduction and digital transformation. The investment will also cover the modernisation of Kiln 7 at the producer’s Alhandra cement plant. The new centre will focus on technologies such as low-clinker cement development, carbon capture and alternative fuels, using recycled concrete and 3D printing. The building itself will incorporate calcined clay-based cement and recycled aggregates.

The new centre will create over 100 jobs and serve as a hub for collaboration with universities and startups, as well as serve as a location for conferences and workshops. The building will operate as a ‘living lab’, with real-time monitoring of its thermal and structural performance and energy consumption.

The chair of Cimpor Global Holdings, Suat Çalbiyik, said “In 2018, we operated only in Portugal and Cape Verde with around 1800 employees. Today, we are the world’s third-largest cement group… with 8000 employees in 14 countries and a production capacity of 112.5Mt/yr of cement.”

Spain: Cement consumption in Andalusia rose by 13% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025 to 763,000t, according to the Andalusian Cement Manufacturers Association (AFCA).

In March 2025, consumption reached 254,000t, up by 12% year-on-year. However, clinker and cement exports fell by 9% to 97,600t during the same period.

AFCA president Ricardo de Pablos said “The first quarter of the year reflects a positive trend in cement consumption and, therefore, in construction sector activity.”

De Pablos added that building permits for new homes grew by 31% in 2024, with 31,296 homes authorised for construction throughout 2025, but warned that no investment growth is expected in 2025.

Ireland: CRH recorded total revenues of US$6.8bn in the first quarter of 2025, up by 3% year-on-year, and adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of US$495m, up by 11%. However, it reported a net loss of US$98m, compared to a net income of US$114m in the first quarter of 2024.

The company said performance was driven by its ‘differentiated strategy’, positive pricing and acquisition contributions, with underlying demand across key markets remaining positive. CRH completed eight acquisitions for US$0.6bn during the period and reaffirmed its full-year 2025 guidance for a net income of US$3.7bn – 4.1bn and adjusted EBITDA of US$7.3bn – 7.7bn.

Spain: Molins has reported that a cement market slowdown, exacerbated by tariffs and adverse weather in Spain and Argentina, affected its financial performance during the first quarter of 2025. The company reported sales of €327m, a 3% year-on-year decline compared to the same period of 2024, although like-for-like sales rose by 6%.

Molins’ earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) came to €87m, a 3% decline compared to the same period of 2024. Again the like-for-like result was a 9% improvement.

Molins reported that higher average sales prices and lower costs due to ongoing efficiency plans, mitigated the unfavourable impact of exchange rates, particularly the Mexican and Argentine Pesos.

North Macedonia: Cementarnica Usje, part of Greece’s Titan Cement, said that its net profit plunged by 47% year-on-year to €2.6m in the first three months of 2025. This was despite just a 2% decrease in total operating revenues, which came in at US$19.5m over the three-month period. Total operating expenses grew by 22% year-on-year to US$15.2m, mostly due to higher costs for raw materials.