Displaying items by tag: Government
China: Jidong Cement and its subsidies have received US$30m in subsidies from the Chinese government in the first half of 2019. It said that the subsidies were related to its daily activities, according to Reuters. The cement producer said that its estimated profit nearly doubled to US$134m in the reporting period following restructuring the company. Its cement and clinker sales volumes by 15% year-on-year to 45.76Mt.
Najran Cement renews clinker export licence
10 July 2019Saudi Arabia: Najran Cement has renewed its clinker export licence. It is valid for one year from 9 July 2019.
Myanmar: U Aung Kyaw Thu, the Hluttaw representative of Mon State Parliament and chairperson of the public budget scrutiny, finance planning and economics matters review committee has warned that cement plant projects granted licenses by the Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) that have not implemented their plans will not be granted permission to extend their licenses. During a meeting with legislators, local farmers from Kaw Won Village, Kyaikmaraw Township in Mon State complained that the Myanmar-Korea Cement Group should not be allowed to extend its permit, as they had not implemented anything yet, according to the Mons News Agency. Normally companies that have received a permit are allowed to build at the site for three years. They can then extend this by up to three years if they provide a legitimate reason.
The June Cement Industry project has reportedly finished 15% of its construction and the Myanmar-Korea Cement Group project has finished 10% of its construction. The companies have blamed operational difficulties on the delays. They were granted permits by the MIC in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
US: Hawaii’s Department of Transportation plans to use carbon-injected concrete for its new projects. This will include a new structure to protect a highway tunnel from rockfalls, according to Reuters. The Department of Transportation was testing CO2-injected concrete on an access road project with CarbonCure Technologies in May 2019. The latest decision follows a resolution by state legislators that city administrators ‘consider’ using CO2-injected concrete in city and county infrastructure where concrete is used.
In late June 2019 CarbonCure announced that its had formed a partnership with HC&D Ready Mix, a local concrete producer, to use its CO2-injected concrete process. It is the second deal with a concrete producer in the state that CarbonCure has arranged.
Dangote Cement denies rumours of job cuts in Zambia
08 July 2019Zambia: Dangote Cement has denied that it will cut jobs in response to a new sales tax by the Zambian government. The local subsidiary of the Nigerian cement producer clarified comments by its chief executive officer (CEO) Albert Corcos that the new tax would negatively affect production costs, according to the Lusaka Times. The General Sales Tax will replace the existing value added tax (VAT) with a standard 9% rate and a 16% rate for imports. However the new tax has been delayed to September 2019.
Iraq: The government has approved a series of recommendations from the Ministerial Economic Council to support the growth of Iraq’s cement industry and to ensure that production capacity continues to meet domestic demand.
The cabinet approved a loan agreement between the Republic of Iraq and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development for an electricity services reconstruction and enhancement project. It also approved a recommendation from the housing consultative group that investors in housing projects need to complete a percentage of the planned building work before they are allowed to own the land.
India: Piyush Goyal, the Minister of Commerce and Industry, says that the cement industry has a capacity utilisation rate of 67%. In a written reply to the Indian Parliament, he said that the country had an installed production capacity for cement of around 510Mt/yr and that 337Mt was produced in the 2018 – 2019 financial year.
Production stopped at Seongho Lee cement plant in North Korea due to lack of electricity
03 July 2019North Korea: Production has reportedly been stopped for three months at the Seongho Lee cement plant near Pyongyang due to a lack of electricity. Sources quoted by South Korea based Daily NK online newspaper suggest that government power rationing has lowered the importance of the plant in comparison to other so-called ‘core’ industries.
The Korean Cement Association reported in 2011 that the plant had a production capacity of 0.95Mt and it uses a wet process production line. The site dates back to 1919 and the age of its equipment may have contributed to the decision to idle the plant.
Cement Manufacturers Association of Ghana rallies against fumigation import tax on clinker
03 July 2019Ghana: The Cement Manufacturers Association of Ghana (CMAG) is lobbying the government against a recent fumigation levy of US$0.50/t on imported clinker by the Ministry of Health. At a recent meeting the association discussed this tax and others negatively affected the cement sector, according to the Business and Financial Times newspaper. It is also unhappy about more longstanding charges, including a VAT restructuring levy of 5%, and a 2% special tax as well as a new 11% electricity tariff and a proposed increase in the cost of a certification licence from the Ghana Standards Authority and impending. CMAG is also complaining to the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority about imports.
South Africa: PPC says it plans to shut the kiln at its Port Elizabeth cement plant ahead of stricter requirements to the country’s emission standards. It is shutting down the kiln to meet new standards for NO2 and dust emissions on 1 April 2020, according to Reuters. Around 30 jobs are expected to be affected by the shutdown.
The cement producer’s revenue rose slightly year-on-year to US$736m in its financial year to 31 March 2019. Its profit nearly quadrupled to US$10.2m. Its cement sales volumes also rose slightly to 5.9Mt. Sales and earnings fell in South Africa due to a poor market but they grew elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa, notably in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.