Displaying items by tag: Government
Pakistan: Maple Leaf Cement’s first-half standalone sales were US$121m in the 2022 financial year, down by 33% year-on-year from a first-half 2021 financial year figure of US$91.5m. Export sales fell by 46% to US$2.63m, 2.5% of total sales. Its main export markets were Afghanistan, the Seychelles, Oman and Tanzania. The company reported a 70% increase in its consolidated net profit to US$15.2m from US$8.97m in the first half of the 2021 financial year. The producer said that it expects the domestic cement market to remain ‘stagnant’ for numerous reasons, including high inflation, increased interest rates and decelerating implementation of projects under the Public Sector Development Programme.
US: New industrial nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions limits under the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s proposed Good Neighbour Plan will cost US$1.1bn by 2026, according to the National Association of Manufacturers. US Political and Economic Organizations News has reported that the association claims that the cost of implementing the regulations may harm US manufacturing and the country’s economy.
EU: European Union (EU) member state governments have agreed to establish a carbon border adjustment mechanism on imports of polluting goods, including cement, from outside of the EU. Besides preventing carbon leakage, the member states hope that the mechanism will encourage EU partners to establish carbon pricing policies and combat climate change within the framework of the European Emissions Trading System (ETS).
US: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded its Energy Star certification to cement plants belonging to two Titan America subsidiaries. Titan Florida’s Pennsuco, Florida, cement plant has secured its 14th consecutive Energy Star, while Roanoke Cement’s Troutville, Virginia, cement has secured its 15th consecutive Energy Star.
Other cement plants to receive Energy Stars in 2022 included two Argos USA plants (Calera, Alabama, and Harleyville, South Carolina), two GCC plants (Pueblo, Colorado, and Rapid City, South Dakota), Buzzi Unicem’s Chattanooga, Tennessee, plant and three plants in Arizona: CalPortland’s Rillito plant, Drake Cement’s Paulden plant and Salt River Materials Group’s Clarkdale plant.
Congo government halves cement transport tolls
16 March 2022Congo: The government has reduced tolls on the transport of cement by road by 50%. The Journal de Brazza newspaper has reported that the government contacted Dangote Cement to encourage it to resume dispatches from its Ndingui cement plant.
Power to Green Hydrogen consortium commissions green hydrogen plant at Cemex España’s Lloseta cement plant
15 March 2022Spain: A consortium consisting of Cemex España, energy suppliers Enagás and Redexis, renewable power and infrastructure company Acciona and 30 other partners has commissioned Europe’s first solar power-to-green hydrogen plant at the site of Cemex España’s Lloseta cement plant on Majorca. The EU contributed Euro10m to the approximately Euro50m project. Euro3.75 million came from the Balearic Islands Autonomous Community government and Euro2.5m from the Spanish Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE) of the Ministry of the Ecological Transition. The project will generate 300t/yr of hydrogen, eradicating 20,700t/yr of CO2. The hydrogen will primarily fuel city buses in Palma, as well as air conditioning units in public and private buildings there.
Cement producers lobby Telangana government against Grid Support Charge levy on captive power plants
15 March 2022India: The South India Cement Manufacturers’ Association (SICMA) has joined the Confederation of Indian Industry and the associations of other Telangana industries in lobbying the state government against its proposed Grid Support Charge levy on captive power plants operating in parallel to the state grid. The Hindu Business Line News has reported that power plant operators will pay a monthly levy of US$37,100/MW, potentially from 1 April 2022.
One cement company official said “Some of the most industry-friendly states such as Odisha, Karnataka and West Bengal do not levy such charges, while Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat levy a minimal rate of US$261 – 392/MW per month.”
Jaypee Infratech fined US$9140 for non-disclosure of non-convertible debt securities issue
15 March 2022India: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has fined Jaypee Infratech US$9140 for its failure to disclose its issue of a series of non-convertible debt securities. The company additionally failed to inform the BSE exchange of defaults in payment with respect to some of the series.
Philippines: The government’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Environmental Management Bureau has called on cement producers to maximise their use of waste plastic as a raw material in cement production. Philippines News Agency has reported that bureau director William Cuñado estimated that the measures would bring about a 40 – 60% drop in national plastic waste generation. He said that local government has a part to play in arranging the requisite municipal solid waste (MSW) practices.
Pakistan: The Cabinet Committee on Legislative Business of the Punjab government has licenced the establishment of a new cement plant in the state. The News newspaper has reported that the committee also approved the expansion of two existing cement plants.