Displaying items by tag: GCW193

This week Beijing announced that it would close the last of its four largest coal-fired power plants, the China Huaneng Group Corp's 845MW power plant, in 2016. The four coal-fired plants will be replaced by four gas-fired plants with 2.6 times more electricity capacity than the former coal plants. China's policy makers are also encouraging increased use of hydroelectric power, solar and wind and is trying to restart its nuclear power programme.

In the same week, the Independent reported that Costa Rica had achieved a renewable energy milestone, having used 100% renewable energy for the preceding 75 days. The achievement was reportedly made possible by heavy rainfall, which powered four hydroelectric plants. Costa Rica has an impressive track record when it comes to energy sources. In 2014, 80% of its energy came from hydropower and 10% came from geothermal energy. In total, 94% of its energy requirements were met by renewable energy.

However, this week we also heard that Dangote is building the world's biggest oil refinery, which will process 650,000b/day. It will also be Nigeria's first oil refinery. Aliko Dangote, owner of Dangote Group, decided to up the initial design from 450,000b/day because he believes that Nigeria, as a leading producer of crude oil, should also be credited with local refining capacity. Currently, Nigeria produces crude oil, but has to buy refined products from abroad. The refinery is expected to be fully operational by 2017.

Efforts to increase renewable energy should be strongly encouraged - the benefits to the planet and its population are undeniable. However, renewable energy technology has a way to go (if ever) before it can entirely replace fossil fuel-derived energy, which makes Dangote's investment a safe bet. As renewable energy like solar and wind power is entirely reliant on nature, supplies can never be assured.

While sporadic supplies to houses and small businesses may be part of the price we eventually have to pay for a greener world, larger businesses like supermarkets and cement plants, which could lose millions (or billions) from power outages, will surely have something to say, and a lot of sway, when it comes to relying completely on renewable energy. In addition, power outages to essential services like hospitals are unthinkable when it comes to the health of our loved ones. Ultimately, the argument for relying on renewable energy may well be won by utilitarians' 'greater good' argument, but how would it feel to know that your sick child could have been saved by fossil fuel-derived energy?

Europe: Lafarge has identified two potential chief executive candidates for LafargeHolcim, according to local media. Lafarge chief financial officer Jean-Jacques Gauthier and vice president Eric Olsen have both been named. The companies need to find a new chief executive after Holcim demanded a change to the initial agreement that would have installed Lafarge chief Bruno Lafont as head of LafargeHolcim.

Turkey: Loesche has delivered and is currently installing a LM 45.4 raw meal mill ordered by Vicat Service Technique Ciment for Bastas Baskent Çimento in Elmadag in May 2014.

The Loesche LM 45.4 vertical roller mill will grind 260t/hr cement raw meal at a product fineness of 16% R90μm. The installed drive power is 2100kW. Loesche's scope of supply includes weigh feeders, apron feeders, magnetic separators, metal detectors, shut-off and control flaps, vibrating conveyors, a bucket elevator and expansion joints. The commissioning of the new mill is scheduled for the third quarter of 2015.

Qatar: The upcoming cement storage and conveying terminal being developed by Qatar Primary Materials Company (QPMC) in Mesaieed will be completed by the end of 2015, according to a senior official of a consultancy associated with the project.

The facility has been designed to discharge 1.8Mt/yr of cement into the 12 silos with a total storage capacity of 60,000m3. Once operational, the plant will be able to load 1000t/hr of cement in trucks, which will significantly reduce the truck loading time to about 90 seconds per truck.

"Once completed, the facility will help Qatar to import and store more cement than what it is able to do today. In case the local producers have a surplus output, in future, they can also use the storage facility, which will maintain the quality of cement intact for a longer period of time," said Marc Stordiau, managing director of 'Rent A Port', a Belgium-based engineering consultant specialising in port designing and logistics operations. "Although the temrinal has been designed for cement, it can also be used to store gypsum and clinker after minimal modification," added Stordiau.

According to Stordiau, the terminal will also improve the cost efficiency and handling capacity of the port significantly as the latest technology will help unload a vessel with 60,000m3 of cement within a day, instead of 10 - 15 days without the conveyor belts and silos facilities. The high rate of discharge capacity from ships will also reduce ship waiting times. The cement terminal is also equipped with smaller silos, which have been designed to load up to four trucks simultaneously, taking the total loading capacity to 40 trucks per hour or 20,000t/day.

Turkey: Sabancı Holding expects its cement business sales to rise by 10 – 15% in 2015 and is looking for acquisition opportunities, according to its chief executive Hakan Gurdal. Sabancı's cement group, which consists of Akçansa and Çimsa, posted a 16% increase in sales to US$980m in 2014.

"We are chasing opportunities for growth abroad. The financial structures of Akçansa and Çimsa are getting stronger, creating serious potential. We currently have the ability to borrow up to US$1.5bn to fund an acquisition," said Gurdal.

Sabancı Holding has long been interested in acquisitions, but has not bought any companies. Gurdal explained that this was due to geopolitical risks in the countries bordering Turkey. Gurdal added that the group had an investment target of US$117 – 129m, most of which would be invested in a plant in the Aegean province of Afyon. The plant is expected to start producing in May 2016.

Russia: Eurocement's new plant in Sengileevskaya is scheduled to begin production at the end of May 2015, bringing the total production capacity of the Ulyanovsk region close to 4Mt/yr. Eurocement Group president Mikhail Skorokhod said that the plant will meet the highest standards in terms of equipment quality and performance. Governor of the Ulyanovsk region, Sergey Morozov, said that the arrival of Eurocement will improve the quality of life for people in the region. On completion, the plant will provide 320 jobs.

Ethiopia: Aliko Dangote will inaugurate east Africa's biggest cement plant in Ethiopia in the next three weeks, between 29 March 2015 and 2 April 2015.

Dangote Cement Ethiopia plc has built the state-of-the-art cement plant in West Shoa Zone, Adaberga woreda. Construction by China's Sinoma International Engineering commenced in March 2012 and was completed in March 2015. Products of the US$500m plant will be available locally from May 2015. The plant has 2.5Mt/yr of cement production capacity. Teshome Lemma, country general manager of Dangote Cement, said that the fully-automated plant is the biggest in the east African region. It will produce Ordinary Portland cement, Pozzolanic Portland cement and special cement for dam construction.

According to Lemma, all of the equipment was procured from Germany, Sweden and Italy. "The plant has state-of-the-art cement technology and it produces world class cement that can be sold any where in the world," said Lemma. "The plant is environmentally-friendly. There is no smoke coming out of the plant as the latest pollution controlling technology is applied."

Saudi Arabia: Southern Province Cement (SPC) has launched trial operations of a third production line at its plant in Tuhama. The new line has 5000t/day of production capacity. The trial period will last about four months.

UK: O'Donovan Waste Disposal is investing Euro20m in a new processing facility close to Alperton, west London.

The site will have a material reception and recycling facility that sorts and processes a myriad of construction and demolition waste into recoverable and reusable materials, such as graded aggregate. Around 50 jobs will be created across a range of operational roles, including drivers and waste handlers.

"We have been looking for a suitable site for many years and this is in an ideal location for us. There are so many large, long-term development projects in London that there is a real need for increased recycling infrastructure like this. Construction has already started and we hope to be fully operational in late spring," said Jacqueline O'Donovan, managing director at O'Donovan Waste Disposal.

Nepal: State-owned Hetauda Cement Industries Ltd (HCIL) has reported an accumulated loss of US$6.42m at the end of its 2014 financial year.

"We faced a loss of US$692,829 in 2011 - 2012 and US$95,251 in 2012 - 2013. Our annual loss increased to US$6.42m in 2013 - 2014," said Ramesh Shiwakoti, chief accountant of HCIL. "HCIL is facing a loss as we are focused on providing quality products, unlike privately-owned cement producers whose major thrust is on making profit."

HCIL pays its workers around US$251/month, while privately-owned cement plants reportedly pay around US$150/month. Although a HCIL spokesperson said that the company's loss can be partly attributed to its high wages, the workers said that the plants is making a loss due to lack of transparency and increasing political interference.