Displaying items by tag: Heidelberg Materials

Germany: Heidelberg Materials has started the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) Study phase on the GeZero project at its Milke plant in Geseke. The technical planning phase is being conducted by Fluor Corporation. It will focus on the design and integration of the various systems into the overall technical concept, which also includes a CO₂ transport solution. The technical planning is expected to be completed in mid-2025 with construction scheduled to start in 2026.

Christian Knell, CEO of Heidelberg Materials Germany, said “With GeZero, Heidelberg Materials will rely on CO₂ capture using state-of-the-art oxyfuel technology in combination with a CO₂ cleaning and liquefaction plant. To pave the way for domestic CCS plants, a CO₂ transport solution by rail is part of the planning until the necessary pipeline infrastructure is available. In addition, a local CO2 storage hub is to be created as interim storage. The electrical energy requirement for the operation of the plant is to be covered exclusively by renewable energies. A new photovoltaic system in the vicinity of the factory premises will help to meet the needs.”

The GeZero project is preparing to build a carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) value chain for the Geseke cement plant, North Rhine-Westphalia, in inland Germany. It aims to capture 0.7Mt/yr of CO₂ starting from 2029. The project is supported by the European Union Innovation Fund.

Australia: Hanson Australia has changed its name to Heidelberg Materials Australia as part of parent company Heidelberg Materials’ global rebranding strategy.

The company started in 1949 when Pioneer was established as a ready-mix concrete producer. It was later acquired by Hanson in 2000 and rebranded as Hanson Australia in 2004. Hanson was subsequently acquired by Heidelberg Materials in 2007. Heidelberg Materials began its global rebranding from Heidelberg Cement in September 2022. Hanson’s subsidiaries Hymix, Pioneer North Queensland, Placecrete, Traino, Alex Fraser and Suncoast Asphalt will continue to operate under their existing brands.

Germany: In the first nine months of 2024, Heidelberg Materials' sales fell by 2.1% to €15.75bn from €16.8bn in the same period of 2023. The result from current operations before depreciation and amortisation rose by €101m or 3% to €3.28bn, while the result from current operations increased by €58m or 2.6% to €2.33bn.

The company’s businesses in Europe reported a revenue of €7.1bn in the nine-month period, a 2.7% decrease from €7.3bn in 2023. In North America, Heidelberg Materials reported a revenue of €3.98bn, marking a 0.5% increase from January - September 2023. In the Asia-Pacific region, revenue decreased by 5.2% to €2.6bn, and the Africa-Mediterranean-Western Asia region also saw a decline of 6.2% year-on-year to €1.65bn.

Bangladesh: Heidelberg Materials Bangladesh has appointed Saikat Khan as its secretary with effect from 1 November 2024. Khan also serves as the director of the company's legal division, according to the New Nation newspaper. He succeeds Emdadul Haque in the post, who has resigned.

Other recent personnel changes include the appointment of Terence Ong Kian Hock as managing director. He assumed the role from 1 September 2024 and succeeded Jose Marcelino Ugarte. Emdadul Haque has also been appointed as chief financial officer from 1 January 2025. He will follow Jashim Uddin Chowdhury in the role.

Canada: Sustainable materials startup EnviCore has raised US$3m in its seed funding round led by CSN Inova Ventures (the corporate venture capital arm of Brazil’s Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional), Heidelberg Materials and others. The funding will scale up Envicore’s production of low-carbon supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), like mining tailings, slag, shale and glass. The company’s technology reportedly reduces the carbon footprint of cement production by up to 30%, using recycled mineral feedstock, with the SCMs replacing up to 35% of Portland cement in concrete. Proceeds will expand EnviCore's production capacity and support new business development, operations and research and development efforts. Heidelberg Materials, together with EnviCore, will conduct a feasibility study for a pilot SCM production facility close to one of Heidelberg Materials’ recycling hubs.

CEO and co-founder Shahrukh Shamim said "This investment marks a pivotal moment in our journey to commercialise a game-changing technology in the cement industry. The support from CSN, Heidelberg Materials and other investors will allow us to scale up quickly and meet the growing demand for greener building solutions."

Canada: Heidelberg Materials has invested in EnviCore, a Canada-based startup that is developing low-carbon solutions. Together, the companies will focus on increasing the use of recycled construction and demolition materials as supplementary cementitious materials (SCM). This collaboration includes planning a pilot SCM production facility near one of Heidelberg Materials' recycling hubs, pending an upcoming feasibility study. Heidelberg Materials has also acquired a minority stake in EnviCore.

Katharina Beumelbur, chief sustainability and new technologies officer and member of the managing board of Heidelberg Materials, said “EnviCore’s novel approach has the potential to unlock new possibilities of increasing the amount of recycled materials we use in our products. This could pave the way to further reduce our need for virgin materials, contributing towards preserving valuable natural resources and protecting our environment.”

India: Adani Group is negotiating the purchase of Heidelberg Materials' cement business in India, potentially valued at US$1.2bn, according to Reuters. Heidelberg Materials has been present in India since 2006, and owns four plants with a total capacity of 12.6Mt/yr. The acquisition discussions come amidst increased consolidation in the Indian cement sector, driven by heightened demand due to government investment in housing and infrastructure.

Brunei: Heidelberg Materials Butra Sdn Bhd has become the first cement producer to receive a ‘green’ label certification for its Portland composite cement. The Singapore Environment Council awarded the certification, which recognises products meeting stringent environmental standards such as lower carbon emissions and sustainable material use.

Managing director of Heidelberg Materials Butra, Terence Ong, said “By offering environmentally responsible products, we aim to contribute to the nation’s infrastructure development while minimising our ecological footprint.”

Italy: Heidelberg Materials has launched a feasibility study at its Rezzato-Mazzano cement plant to explore a source-to-sink carbon capture and storage (CCS) solution, potentially making it the first in Italy to produce carbon-captured net-zero cement, according to the company’s press release. The aim of the study is to evaluate the feasibility of capturing CO₂ from cement production and transporting it via pipeline to the Ravenna CCS storage hub under the Adriatic Sea. Phase 1 of the Ravenna CCS project will be carried out with the help of a joint venture between Italy-based integrated energy company Eni and energy infrastructure subsidiary Snamprogetti, involving discussions between the three companies for a technical evaluation. The project aims to leverage Eni’s depleted gas fields in the Adriatic Sea, which would be converted for use as permanent CO₂ storage sites. The total storage capacity of these fields is estimated at more than 500Mt. Snam is committed to developing a pipeline network to transport CO₂ from emitters to the Ravenna CCS hub.  

Chair of the managing board of Heidelberg Materials, Dominik von Achten, said "We are excited to explore the economic feasibility of a carbon capture initiative in the Mediterranean. Our ambition at Heidelberg Materials is not only to implement a decarbonisation initiative that is highly efficient in terms of resources and energy, but also to provide an important impetus for the development of a regional CCS cluster."

Member of the managing board of Heidelberg Materials and responsible for Europe, Jon Morrish, said "With an aspired capture rate of more than 95% of our plant’s emissions, this initiative aims to explore options for industrial-scale CCS in Italy. This would enable us to supply locally produced, carbon captured net-zero cement under our evoZero brand to customers in the region."

Morocco: Heidelberg Materials has signed a strategic agreement to acquire Votorantim Cimentos' assets in Morocco, including a 63% share in cement and ready-mix concrete producer Asment de Témara and the entire stake in aggregates supplier Grabemaro through its subsidiary Ciments du Maroc. This acquisition positions Ciments du Maroc to expand its operations in Northern Morocco, adding a cement plant with a production capacity of 1.4Mt/yr, two aggregates sites and eight ready-mix concrete plants. The acquisition includes access to an alternative fuels platform enhancing the fuel rate at the newly acquired cement plant to 70% by 2027, reportedly contributing to reduced environmental impact and optimised production-related energy costs. The completion of the transaction awaits regulatory approval from Moroccan competition authorities, and financial details remain undisclosed.

Chair of the managing board of Heidelberg Materials Dominik von Achten said "Our latest investment marks an important step as part of our ongoing portfolio optimisation to strengthen our core markets. Expanding our presence in the attractive Moroccan market while increasing our use of alternative fuels will generate substantial financial synergies and thus help us accelerate our ambitious decarbonisation efforts throughout our sites in the country and grow our local offering of sustainable solutions."