Displaying items by tag: Government
Vietnam: The Ministry of Industry and Trade has proposed that the government transfers the management of Quang Son cement plant to the Vietnam Cement Industry Corporation (Vicem) from the Vietnam Industrial Construction Corporation (Vinaincon) due to high losses and mounting loans. Both companies are run by the government, according to the Viet Nam News newspaper. The loans have grown to 95% of the total investment of US$153m of the project, putting financial pressure on Vinaincon.
Under the proposal, Vicem will have to take care of all the loans taken by Vinaincon for Quang Son cement plant, formerly known as Thai Nguyen cement plant. The project started commercial operation in July 2011 with a production capacity of 1.5Mt/yr of cement.
Senegalese government to investigate cement prices
04 June 2018Senegal: Trade minister Alioune Sarr says that the government will investigate a rise in the price of cement. He said that a committee has been set up to review the prices of essential commodoties including cement, according to PressAfrik. The decision follows a rise in the price of cement at the end of May 2018.
Anhui Conch considering cement plant in Odessa
01 June 2018Ukraine: China’s Anhui Conch has discussed building a cement plant in Odessa with Anatoliy Urbansky, the chairman of the Odessa Regional Council. Delegates from the General Consulate of China in Odessa and the Ukrainian branch of China Metallurgical Construction Engineering Group attended the meeting as well, according to Interfax. Anhui Conch is also considering building a construction materials park and investing in tourism in the region.
Uganda: The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives has backed down from allowing bulk imports of cement into the country following price stabilisation. The market faced soaring prices in April 2018, according to the Daily Monitor newspaper. The ministry said that prices have returned to the level they were before the crisis. In April 2018 the government asked cement producers to resolve a local cement shortage. Local companies Hima Cement and Tororo Cement blamed the problem on reduced electricity supplies to their plants.
Rwanda: Vincent Munyeshyaka, the Minister of Trade and Industry, says that traders who are charging too much for cement will be fined. He told the New Times newspaper that about 30 traders have been fined for cement price speculation so far. Fines range up to about US$350. The country has faced a shortage of cement since February 2018 when local producer Cimerwa started upgrade work at its Bugarama plant.
Vietnam: The environment ministry has approved fly ash from the Formosa steel company for use in cement production. Sông Gianh Cement in Quảng Bình Province has been cleared for its use provided the materials meet current technical specifications and that the company has the responsibility to monitor the transport of ash, according to the Viet Nam News newspaper.
Sông Gianh Cement initially denied receiving fly ash from Formosa. However, the transport company carrying the by-product from Hà Tĩnh to Quảng Bình admitted to local media that it had been hired for the job. The Quảng Bình environment department then revealed that Sông Gianh had asked the government if it could buy fly ash from Formosa but that it had been denied due to poor public opinion regarding the steel producer.
Formosa received widespread public criticism when it was blamed for a chemical spill into the sea in 2016 that caused mass deaths of marine life and public outcry.
Spain: FYM, a subsidiary of HeidelbergCement, is facing a potential legal battle to expand the quarry at its La Araña cement plant near Malaga. It has applied to the local government for a compulsory order to buy land at the site, according to the Diario Sur newspaper. FYM says that it has the authorisation to use up to 176 hectares near its plant for mineral extraction but that it is only using 43 hectares at present. The agreement in place allows the cement producer to buy land on a compulsory basis if an agreement can’t be reached with the land owners. However, the current land owner and FYM have disagreed over the price.
Cameroon: The Ministry of Finance forecasts that demand for cement will rise by 10% due to various infrastructure projects. The government department also indicated that some cement producers are increasing their production capacity, according to Business in Cameroon.
Cimencam, a subsidiary of LafargeHolcim, is planning to build a 0.5Mt/yr grinding plant at Nomayos in Yaoundé. It is expected to be complete in 2019. Dangote Cement plans to build a 1.5Mt/yr plant in Yaoundé and Ciments de l'Afrique (CIMAF) is upgrading its plant Douala to 1.5Mt/yr from 0.5Mt/yr. The CIMAF project is scheduled for completion also in 2019. Following commissioning of all the new projects, the market share of each cement producer is expected to be Dangote Cement with 45%, Cimencam with 30%, CIMAF with 22% and Medcem with 3%.
Norway: The government has proposed continuing funding for Norcem’s CO2 capture and storage project at its Brevik cement plant. The announcement follows an assessment by the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy of local carbon capture, transport and storage (CCS) projects. The government has proposed to fund FEED studies (Front End Engineering and Design studies) with around Euro8m in 2018. The total funding for the demonstration project in 2018 amounts to Euro29m, including funds transferred from 2017. The proposed funds for 2018 will cover FEED studies of CO2 transport, storage and up to two capture facilities.
“Of the three CO2 capture projects evaluated, Norcem has the best conditions for a successful implementation. Norcem has demonstrated project execution abilities and relatively low cost per tonne CO2 captured compared to the other two capture projects. The cement industry is also a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions,” said the government in a statement Norcem, HeidelbergCement local subsidiary, which sbeat other projects by Yara and Fortum Oslo Varme to the funding.
Barbados: Trinidad Cement and its Barbadian subsidiary Arawak Cement have taken legal action against the Government of Barbados over allegedly breaking the Caribbean Community Single Market and Economy. The complaint relates to accusations that the country broke import duties on cement, according to Barbados Today. The government has been accused of reducing import tariffs to 5% from 60%.
Arawak Cement and competitor Rock Hard Cement have battled for the local market since the entry of the latter company in the market in 2015. Trinidad Cement has also taken action against Turkish cement importers previously.