Displaying items by tag: Government
India: The Maharashtra parliament has formed a four-member committee to review the possible wildlife impacts of Birla Corporation subsidiary Reliance Cement’s planned Yavatmal cement plant in Mukutban, Maharashtra. The Times of India has reported that the plant received Stage II environmental clearance in 2018. In 2019, dry forest due for clearance under the plant plans was found to constitute part of a tiger corridor. As a result, Reliance Cement must apply to the Maharashtra State Board for Wildlife. The parliamentary committee will visit the site and prepare a report for the board.
Cuba: Switzerland-based LafargeHolcim has agreed in principle to settle a US court case regarding alleged trafficking in private property previously confiscated by the Cuban government. The Miami Herald newspaper has reported that the group is preparing to pay the claimant compensation. In the complaint, the plaintiffs had claimed the current market value of the property was an estimated US$270m, plus legal fees, interest and other costs could be involved. An agreement is expected to be reached by late June 2021.
In late 2020 a court in Florida, US accepted a request for damages from LafargeHolcim to over 20 parties from Cuba whose land was nationalised and subsequently had a cement plant built on it. The claim alleged that Switzerland-based Holderbank had held a stake in the partly-state owned Carlos Marx cement plant near Cienfuegos since 2001. Holderbank later became Holcim and then LafargeHolcim. The plaintiffs have been aided by a change in US law allowing Cubans to claim damages in US courts for expropriated property from private companies which profited from them.
Iran: Abyek Cement Complex has relaunched a 8500t/day production line at its plant in Abyek, Qazvin province following repairs. Alireza Razm Hosseini, head of the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade, attended the event. The production line is the largest in the country, according to the ministry. Cement produced at the plant will be exported.
The Tehran Times newspaper has reported that the relaunch brings the total national capacity to 80Mt/yr across 74 plants. Domestic demand was 70Mt in the 2021 financial year, which ended on 21 March 2021.
Cement Association of Canada and Canadian government to develop roadmap to net-zero carbon concrete
02 June 2021Canada: The Cement Association of Canada (CAC) and the government have published a joint statement detailing their plant to develop a roadmap to net-zero carbon concrete. When launched in December 2021, the roadmap will provide Canadian cement producers with the policies, tools and technologies to contribute to the achievement of net-zero concrete by 2050. The plans will cover areas including: supporting the low-emissions building materials supply chain, building an innovative opportunities framework and engaging stakeholders. According to the statement, the roadmap will offer total potential CO2 reduction of 15Mt by 2030, and 4.0Mt/yr thereafter.
The partnership will establish a CAC-led Industry-Government Working Group in collaboration with the National Research Council the Standards Council of Canada and Innovation, Science and Economic Development. Among its tasks will be the publication of updated environmental product declarations.
Cuba: Cementos Cienfuegos’ Carlos Marx cement plant in Guabairo resumed production in late May 2021. Production had been suspended since 14 January 2021 due to a lack of petcoke, according to the Sierra Maestra newspaper. Fuel suppliers had been affected by a fuel shortage created by US trade sanctions. Despite the enforced shutdown the plant intends to meet its production target for 2021.
Spain: Turkey-based Çimsa Çimento intends to complete its acquisition of Cemex’s Buñol white cement plant in June 2021. Local government says that the purchase agreement has been in place since 2019 but has delayed by the international nature of the deal and competition concerns, according to Agencia EFE. Çimsa Çimento agreed to buy Cemex’s white cement business in Spain, including its Buñol plant, for around US$180m in March 2019. It was originally scheduled for completion in the second half of 2019.
Suez Cement inoculates staff against Covid-19
28 May 2021Egypt: Suez Cement, part of Germany-based HeidelbergCement, has begun its first round of staff inoculations against Covid-19 at its plants and offices. Government medical staff supervised the sessions, which the company said were well attended.
Human resources director Sherry Bishara said, "I am pleased to take this opportunity to thank the Ministry of Health and Suez governorate Preventive Medicine Directorate for their collaboration in providing the vaccine and medical staff needed for administering the vaccine for staff and also to thank the group's medical service for facilitating the campaign.”
India: Star Cement has incorporated new subsidiaries in Assam and Meghalaya. It has set up Star Cement North East in Guwahati, Assam and Star Cement Lumshnong in Lumshnong, Meghalaya. Both business units are yet to start conducting operations. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has approved both incorporations.
Armenia: The Armenian parliament has agreed to establish a customs duty of Euro22/t for cement and Euro3/t for clinker on imports from Iran and other countries. The government had initially hoped to imposed Euro39/t and Euro14/t on cement and clinker respectively but this was declined by the legislative body, according to the ArmInfo News Agency. Imported cement will also be recognised as licensed. The new bill will come into effect in July 2021.
A previous customs duty of Euro22/t imports of Iranian cement was set up in mid-2019. However, Iranian cement imports were then banned at the start of 2021. Production by local producers grew in 2020 and imports fell.
Nepal forecast to require 26Mt/yr by 2024 - 2025
24 May 2021Nepal: A report by the Nepal Rastra Bank has estimated that Nepal will require 26Mt/yr of cement by the 2024 – 25 financial year due to large-scale infrastructure projects. However, current production before the coronavirus pandemic was around 7.5Mt/yr despite the country’s production capacity of 15Mt/yr, according to the Kathmandu Post newspaper. Domestic consumption is 9Mt with around 1.5Mt of demand supplied from imports, mainly from India. The report added that most of the large projects in Nepal used cement imported from India due to issues with certification, consistent quality and the inability of local producers to offer bulk supply. In 2019 the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies forecast that the country’s cement production capacity could increase to 20Mt/yr by the end of the 2023 – 24 year.
Dhruba Raj Thapa, president of the Cement Manufacturers Association of Nepal, said that the data in the report by the bank contained errors. He pointed out that the country has a cement production capacity of 22Mt/yr and that it is already self-sufficient in the commodity. He also refuted the claims that infrastructure projects prefer imported cement.