Displaying items by tag: HeidelbergCement

Spain: FYM-HeidelbergCement has launches a new clinker conveyor at the Port of Malaga. The new Euro2.5m project started by loading 4800t of clinker onto a ship bound for Ireland. The conveyor will continue to be tested in August 2019 with 30,000DWT and 40,000DWT vessels. The enclosed conveyor has a load capacity of 650t/hr. the project also included setting up two storage areas in the Pescadería area of the city.

US: Humboldt Wedag, a subsidiary of Germany’s KHD, has signed a contract with Lehigh Cement to supply a cement plant for a cost of more than Euro100m. The contract includes engineering, supply of equipment and structural steel as well as advisory services related to erection and commissioning of the unit. Lehigh Cement, a subsidiary of HeidelbergCement, has separately announced that it is currently preparing for a US$600m upgrade to its integrated Mitchell plant in Indiana. Construction work on the project is scheduled to start in 2020.

Germany: HeidelbergCement’s specific CO₂ net emissions per tonne of cementitious material fell by 1.4% year-on-year to 599kg CO2/t in 2018 from 608kg CO₂/t in 2017. Despite this its absolute gross CO₂ emissions increased by 3% to 76.7Mt from 74.2Mt as clinker, cement, aggregate and concrete sales volumes all grew in 2018. The group has published the data in its Sustainability Report for the 2018 financial year.

“Cutting our CO₂ emissions and handling natural resources considerately are priorities for all our business lines,” says Bernd Scheifele, chairman of the managing board of HeidelbergCement. "We focus primarily on the development of sustainable products and the implementation of concrete measures at plant level in order to achieve our sustainability goals.” The company has set itself the target of a 30% reduction in its specific net CO₂ emissions per tonne of cement by 2030, compared with 1990. HeidelbergCement says it intends to realise its vision of CO₂-neutral concrete by 2050 at the latest.

Other figures of note in the report include an alternative fuels substitution rate of 21.7% in 2018 compared in 20.8% in 2017. NO_x, SO_x and particulate matter emissions all fell. However, total water withdrawal rose by 8% to 65.4Mm³ from 60.4Mm³ although water consumption fell.

Bosnia & Herzegovina: Tvornica Cementa Kakanj’s sales revenue fell by 9.7% year-on-year to Euro16.4m in the first half of 2019 from Euro18.3m in the same period in 2018. Its net profit dropped by 42% to Euro3m from Euro4.7m. The subsidiary of Germany’s HeidelbergCement operates an integrated cement plant at Kakanj.

UK: The Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC) has called on European building materials companies to take steps to fight climate change or face commercial extinction. Recommended changes from its new ‘Investor Expectations of Companies in the Construction Materials Sector’ report have been sent to the heads of LafargeHolcim, HeidelbergCement, CRH and Saint-Gobain. The report informs investor engagement with other construction material firms on the initiative’s global list of 161 focus companies. Investment bodies in the group represent US$2Tn in assets, assets under management and under advice.

“The cement sector needs to dramatically reduce the contribution it makes to climate change. Delaying or avoiding this challenge is not an option. This is ultimately a business-critical issue for the sector,” said Stephanie Pfeifer, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the IIGCC. “Major economies such as the UK and France are increasingly adopting economy-wide net zero emission targets. The cement sector needs to get ahead of the profound transformation their sector faces by addressing barriers to decarbonisation in the short- to medium-term if companies are to secure their future.”

Key details set out in the ‘Investor Expectations’ report include becoming carbon neutral by 2050. Companies are expected to set short, medium and long-term science-based targets to reach this goal. Building material companies should be public policy transparent and advocate for the Paris Agreement, they should implement a ‘strong’ governance framework assigning specific responsibility for climate change to a board committee or board member and they should provide enhanced corporate disclosure in line with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).

The IIGCC recognised the steps HeidelbergCement in particular has taken in already having committed to meeting key aspects of the investor expectations it has outlined. CRH, LafargeHolcim and Saint-Gobain have been encouraged to follow suit, given the ‘significant’ role they play as European-based multinationals. The group also praised the ambitious targets set by India’s Dalmia Cement to become carbon negative by 2040.

India: Zuari Cement’s integrated cement plant at Sitapuram, Telangana has been issued a show cause notice by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for exceeding particulate matter emissions. During an inspection it has found to be emitting 40.6mg/Nm³ from the kiln and 78mg/Nm³ from the cement mill, according to the Times of India newspaper. The limit is 30mg/Nm³. CPCB officials also found other violations including an alleged deliberate attempt show reduced levels of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. The plant has been asked to calibrate its dust monitors properly and submit a compliance report by late July 2019.

Egypt: Suez Cement’s consolidated profit rose by 82% year-on-year to US$12.8m in the first quarter of 2019 from US$7.04m in the same period in 2018. However, its revenue fell by 14% to US$109m from US$127m. Its standalone business reported both a loss and falling sales.

Togo: Eric Goulignac, a regional director of HeidelbergCement based in West Africa, says that the company believes in the local market despite competition. He expressed confidence due to the quality of its products, according to Télégramme228. The building materials producer is currently finalising a call for tenders for a Euro25m upgrade to its operations, including a new mill, at Cimtogo’s cement grinding plant in Lomé and a photovoltaic (PV) solar energy plant.

US: Lehigh Cement has received permission from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management for a US$600m upgrade to its integrated Mitchell plant. IDEM's Office of Air Quality granted a modification to the unit’s air permit in late June 2019 following a period of public comment, according to the Times-Mail newspaper. The subsidiary of Germany’s HeidelbergCement plans to increases the production capacity at the plant to 2.8Mt/yr from 0.8Mt/yr. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2020 and completion of the new plant is anticipated by the end of 2022. Once finished the upgrades will create 52 new jobs at the unit.

UK: Hanson Cement says that the first phase of a Euro27m upgrade project to its integrated Padeswood plant in Wales has been completed. The upgrade has included the installation of a 0.65Mt/yr cement grinding mill as well as enhancements to production capacity and efficiency gains. The plant can now, with the aid of existing ball mills, match cement grinding with its kiln capacity.

“The nearly new Loesche vertical roller mill, housed in a 34m-high building, started its life at a grinding plant in Bilbao. It had only 7000 operational hours on the clock and was in excellent condition. After dismantling it piece by piece, specialist contractors moved it to the UK where it was reassembled on site at Padeswood,” said Jim Claydon, Hanson UK cement managing director.

Other improvements at the site include the installation of three new rail cement silos that have been installed alongside the existing railhead. This will allow up to three trains a week to be loaded for deliveries to Hanson depots in London, Bristol or Glasgow. The new silos will reduce the transportation of cement produced at Padeswood to customers by road. In addition to the increase in grinding capacity, other recent capital investment at Padeswood include the installation of a plastic packing machine, and the re-commissioning of an existing paper packaging machine and an upgrade in the capability to use recycled paper and plastics as fuel.