Displaying items by tag: Iceland

Iceland: Sementsverksmidjan says it has offset its domestic transport CO₂ emissions through an offset scheme with the government environmental agency Landgræðirin. In 2022 the subsidiary of Germany-based Heidelberg Materials offset 484t of CO₂-equivalent by restoring a birch forest and dry-land ecosystems.

Iceland: Sementsverksmidjan has decided to sell cement from competitor Aalborg Portland Islandi due to a cement shortage in the country. It said it wants to help the local supply situation after seeking guidance from the local competition authority. Rival company Steinsteypan has made a formal complaint to the regulator. Sementsverksmidjan, a cement importing subsidiary of HeildebergCement, says that it also sold cement supplied by competitors earlier in the year.

Iceland: Sementsverksmidjan has commissioned engineering company Efla to investigate a dust spill which occurred in early January 2021. The cement importer says that Efla will review its processes, assess impacts and advise on any measures to prevent the recurrence of such an accident.

The company said, “Following the accident, information has also emerged that the incident lasted longer than previously thought. This information has not been confirmed and is new to the company, but could mean that more cement has been released into the atmosphere than had previously been estimated. The cement factory takes this information seriously and will continue to work with Efla and the insurance company to fully analyse the matter.”

Iceland: HeildelbergCement subsidiary Sementsverksmidjan has apologised for an incident which caused cement dust to be released from a silo at its terminal in Akranes. An overflow during loading caused the dust to settle on nearby houses. The company collaborated with fire services, utilities companies and residents to tidy up.

The company said, “The incident yesterday was an accident which did not comply with the policy and will of the company or its owners. The company therefore apologises to all those who suffered inconvenience and will do everything in its power to ensure that accidents of this kind do not recur.”

Iceland: Iceland Cement has invested Euro0.1m in a specialised washboard for cement trucks. The installation includes strainers for both solids and oil. The company emphasised its social responsibility to keep the trucks, a ‘prominent feature’ in the local area, clean.

US: Trabits Group and Brookhaven National Laboratory have been selected to present joint research papers at two scientific geothermal forums on the self-repair ability of the FlexCem Lightweight Variable Density well cement product. The first presentation will be at the September 2019 meeting of the Geothermal Resources Council (GRC), which will be held in Palm Springs, California, US. The second presentation will be at the World Geothermal Congress (WGC), which will be held in Reykjavik, Iceland in April 2020.

FlexCem well cement was developed by Trabits Group following completion of a research grant from the Department of Energy Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO). It is a composite cement using Type I/II cement clinker and Ferrierite zeolite, interground in proprietary ratios.

Iceland: Cement carrier Fjordvik has run aground near the port of Helguvík harbour in Keflavík. It ran aground whilst being piloting into the harbour, according to state broadcaster RÚV. The hull of the vessel has been breached. The crew were evacuated by helicopter. The ship was travelling from Aalborg in Denmark.

Iceland: Iceland Cement has started demolishing its cement plant at Akranes. The 9 hectare site in the town will be used for housing and other projects, according to the Iceland Review magazine. FLSmidth originally built the plant and it was in operation since 1958 before it stopping manufacturing cement in 2012 when the company switched to imports from Norcem. Germany’s HeidelbergCement is the majority owner of the company.