Displaying items by tag: Inauguration

Norway: Heidelberg Materials CEO Dominik von Achten and Crown Prince Haakon of Norway have inaugurated the new carbon capture and storage (CCS) unit at the Brevik cement plant. The event was attended by 320 guests, inxluding Norwegian energy minister Terje Aasland. Von Achten said the producer’s ‘zero-CO₂’ cement, evoZero, is fully sold out for 2025. The Brevik CCS unit will capture 400,000t/yr of CO₂, equivalent to 50% of the plant's emissions. The first CO₂ has already been successfully captured, liquefied and temporarily stored, with injection into subsea reservoirs scheduled for August 2025. 

Von Achten said “Personally, I love the collaboration part of it because this is a masterpiece of global, national, European, in fact, global collaboration. Without the Norwegian government support we would probably not alone have a part in this project. The Norwegian government has significantly de-risked the project for us. That's why we are standing here today and celebrating this important milestone.”

He added “We can’t expect governments to finance these projects for the coming decades – it must work commercially. We have a physical product from Brevik that we will be delivering to Oslo and to other parts of Norway. We also have a virtual product, which will be like a purchase of a renewable energy contract, so that we can virtually allocate evoZero to Paris, to Berlin, to wherever it is needed.”

Von Achten said “The CO₂ concentration in our flue gas – at 20% – is much higher than in the atmosphere, so we have a huge technology and commercial advantage over direct air capture (DAC) approaches. I would say that our evoZero product brings significant commercial advantages to our customers.”

Yara International CEO Svein Tore Holsether said “There will be no green transition with red numbers.”

Energy minister Terje Aasland said Norway has been safely sequestering CO₂ in the Sleipner oil-field since 1996 and that storage is safe and permanent.

Kyrgyzstan: President Sadyr Japarov has launched a new 0.8Mt/yr clinker production line at the Kant Cement plant. The project created over 300 new jobs and is expected to increase cement supply to the domestic construction industry. Construction of the dry-process line began in early 2024, with equipment supplied by China's Beijing Triumph International Engineering, a subsidiary of Sinoma. US$50m of the US$61m total investment was provided by the Eurasian Development Bank. In 2024, the plant produced 1.15Mt of cement.

President Japarov said “The launch of the new line is not just another production facility. It is a symbol of our industrial growth, professionalism of domestic engineers and workers, and, most importantly, the trust of investors in our country.”

Cameroon: Cimencam, a subsidiary of LafargeHolcim-Maroc Afrique, inaugurated its subsidiary Cimencam Figuil’s (CIMFIG) new clinker and cement production line at the Figuil cement plant in Cameroon’s North Region on 12 June 2025, according to the Business in Cameroon newspaper.

The new line, part of an expansion project at the 40-year-old Figuil cement plant, has a cement capacity of 500,000t/yr and a clinker capacity of 1,000t/day. Cimencam invested US$88m in the expansion. The upgraded plant will supply cement to the North, Adamaoua and Far North regions, and aims to enter the Chadian market, which reportedly experiences frequent shortages and high prices.

US: Monarch Cement and Evergy Energy Solutions have celebrated the completion of a 39-hectare solar array, with a capacity of 20MW, according to The Chanute Tribune. The facility was inaugurated with a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by representatives from both companies. It will supply up to 33% of Monarch’s Humboldt cement plant’s energy needs. Monarch Cement president Kent Webber said the project took three years to complete.

Evergy also planted native pollinator-friendly grasses and plants to boost underground biomass, improve water infiltration and offer the potential to capture CO₂. The project reduces water demand compared to conventional power generation.

Ethiopia: Ethiopia has increased its cement production capacity to 20Mt/yr following the inauguration of Pioneer Cement’s expansion project in Dire Dawa city, according to The Ethiopian News Agency.

Minister of Mines Habtamu Tegen said that the country has been increasing its infrastructure and building large cement plants such as Lemi Cement to meet national demand, and that it was also commissioning four coal processing plants to further increase supply, including to neighbouring markets.

The Pioneer Cement expansion was reportedly the result of a partnership between Ethiopian and Chinese investors. Pioneer Cement general manager Leon Zone said that the factory had been operational for 16 years, and that the expansion project had increased the plant’s production capacity by 0.6Mt/yr and created 550 direct jobs.

India: Wonder Cement’s managing director Kiran Patil led the inauguration of Line 5 at the Nimbahera plant in Rajasthan on 7 May 2025, according to a social media post by the producer. The project increased the producer’s clinker capacity by 2.8Mt/yr to 13.35Mt/yr and cement capacity by 2.5Mt/yr to 21.5Mt/yr. The company partnered with APBCO on the expansion, which also includes a 12MW waste heat recovery system to increase energy efficiency.

Mexico: Cruz Azul has inaugurated a new limestone crusher at its Oaxaca integrated cement plant in Lagunas in Oaxaca state. Construction of a new mill at the site has also started, according to the Herald of Mexico newspaper. It was announced in August 2024 that the new grinding mill has an investment of US$40m and it is scheduled for completion by October 2025. The company is also expanding a local hospital. The projects were presented as part of a ceremony linked to the community’s 493rd anniversary of the apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Mozambique: President Filipe Nyusi has inaugurated a grinding plant in Niassa Province, northern Mozambique, valued at US$20m. The plant has the capacity to produce 0.2Mt/yr of Portland cement, according to Club of Mozambique news.

Nyusi said the plant would supply Niassa and neighbouring provinces, including Cabo Delgado, Nampula and Tete, improving competitiveness in the northern market and reducing reliance on imports impacted by exchange rates. The plant is expected to lower market and transport costs, particularly for remote districts.

Present Nyusi said “It [the plant] already has 100 workers, which means that 500 people will benefit directly from this plant in terms of income, and many more will benefit indirectly.”

The first stone for the construction of the plant was laid back in October 2018 by former Niassa governor Arlindo Chilundo.

India: JK Cement has inaugurated its 2Mt/yr Prayagraj grinding plant in Uttar Pradesh. The Economic Times newspaper has reported that the plant raises JK Cement’s cement production capacity by 9% to 24Mt/yr.

India: Shree Cement has inaugurated its Guntur cement plant in Andhra Pradesh in southern India. The producer says that the move raises its cement capacity by 5.6% to 56.4Mt/yr, with six integrated cement plants. It already operates one other plant in South India, the 2.4Mt/yr Kodla cement plant in Karnataka. Press Trust of India News has reported that the Guntur cement plant cost US$300m and will employ 700 people. It will serve the ‘growing markets’ of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The plant will co-process up to 30% alternative fuel, consisting of municipal solid waste and biomass, as cement fuel.

Managing director Neeraj Akhoury said "We're committed to growing responsibly. The Guntur plant reflects this by using advanced technology for manufacturing and controlling emissions, making high quality cement with the efficient use of energy.”