Displaying items by tag: Infrastructure

US: The Nevada Department of Transportation has approved the use of Portland limestone cement (PLC) for road construction and repairs. The department expects the move to reduce CO₂ emissions by 4000t/yr. It uses 45,000t/yr of cement in its projects. Local press has reported that transport contributed 35% of Nevada’s CO₂ emissions in 2022, making it the largest single source.

US: The Portland Cement Association (PCA) has opposed a proposed federal temporary suspension to a petrol tax. PCA president and chief executive officer (CEO) Mike Ireland said, “Pausing the federal gas tax is the wrong decision at the wrong moment. Gas tax revenues fund the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to remake American industry and infrastructure with sustainability at its core. Removing the funding from the gas tax will strangle the IIJA before it is even up and running.”

The passage of the IIJA has coincided with PCA's launch of its Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality, which outlines the steps needed to achieve carbon neutrality across the entire cement-concrete-construction value chain by 2050. The PCA says that implementing the changes in its roadmap will require ‘significant’ funding such as those generated from the petrol tax.

Uzbekistan/Kazakhstan: Uzbekistan-based Bekabadcement, part of United Cement Group (UGC) Holding, has become a partner in a key project to build a 350km international transport corridor connecting Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, to be financed by the Asian Development Bank.

The company’s products are well known domestically for their use in the construction of major infrastructure facilities, such as the construction of transport corridors and modernisation of irrigation systems in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as the rebuilding of the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

India: Star Cement plans to invest US$129m to establish a new 3Mt/yr clinker line. BusinessLine Online News has reported that producer currently operates 2.8Mt/yr-worth of clinker capacity across two units in Meghalaya. Star Cement says that it plans to increase its presence in the Northeast India, Bihar and West Bengal markets. It will additionally invest US$90 – 103m to establish two new grinding units with a combined capacity of 4Mt/yr at Guwahati and Silchar in Assam.

Star Cement said that projected infrastructure investment growth in Northeast India inspired its investment decision, while it opted for a 3Mt/yr kiln over a 2Mt/yr alternative due to the improved efficiencies it offers.

India: Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) says that it will inaugurate the 82km Punjab section of the upcoming Eastern Freight Corridor railway before the end of 2022. The line will form part of the 175km Punjab - Uttar Pradesh section and connect Western Indian cement plants and other industries by high-speed link with Central markets. Workers will divert the existing railway between Mandi Gobindgarh and Sirhind to make way for the line.

DFCCIL previously inaugurated the corridor's central Bhaupur - Khurja section in Uttar Pradesh in January 2021.

US: Eagle Materials has recorded consolidated sales in its 2022 financial year of US$1.9bn, up by 15% year-on-year. The group’s adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) was US$657m, up by 15%. Full-year cement sales totalled US$1bn, up by 7%, with operating earnings of US$260m, up by 11%. The group’s cement volumes rose by 1% to 7.5Mt.

President and CEO Michael Haack said "As we look back on another extraordinary year, I am extremely proud of our team's ability to deliver record operating and financial results despite multiple external challenges, including transportation disruptions, supply chain constraints and, of course, continuing to navigate the Covid-19 pandemic.” He added "As we begin our new fiscal year, Eagle is well-positioned, both financially and geographically, to capitalise on the underlying demand fundamentals that are expected to support steady and sustainable construction activity growth over the near and long term. We expect that infrastructure investment should increase in the latter part of our fiscal year, as federal funding from the recently enacted Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act begins in earnest. And, despite recent interest rate increases, housing demand remains strong across our geographies, outpacing the supply of homes. Nonresidential construction activity is also picking up."

US: Cementos Argos subsidiary Argos Florida Cement has won the Slag Cement Association (SCA)’s Durability and Infrastructure awards at its 2022 Sustainable Concrete Project of the Year Awards. The producer won the awards for its supply of slag cement to two projects in Florida in 2021. Its involvement in the American Bridge Company’s SR 679 Pinellas Bayway Bridge – Structure E replacement won it the Durability award, while its involvement in Superior Paving’s State Road 52 realignment. Argos Florida Cement congratulated its customers, who also received the awards.

Pakistan: Maple Leaf Cement’s first-half standalone sales were US$121m in the 2022 financial year, down by 33% year-on-year from a first-half 2021 financial year figure of US$91.5m. Export sales fell by 46% to US$2.63m, 2.5% of total sales. Its main export markets were Afghanistan, the Seychelles, Oman and Tanzania. The company reported a 70% increase in its consolidated net profit to US$15.2m from US$8.97m in the first half of the 2021 financial year. The producer said that it expects the domestic cement market to remain ‘stagnant’ for numerous reasons, including high inflation, increased interest rates and decelerating implementation of projects under the Public Sector Development Programme.

UK: The Mineral Products Association (MPA) has urged the the UK government to reduce energy costs, maintain mineral products companies’ access to low-tax red diesel and to deliver on planned infrastructure investments. The association says that high costs already threaten its member’s competitiveness against EU-based rivals. The Ukraine crisis has caused energy costs to rise, while mineral products companies expect their rebate for red diesel to end on 1 April 2022. The MPA has asked the government to delay the end of the red diesel rebate. It also called for transparency on the delivery of the government’s infrastructure plans.

CEO Nigel Jackson said “The high ambitions the government has set out for the UK’s infrastructure and housing rely on our members’ ability to supply aggregates, asphalt, cement, concrete and other essential materials You can’t build with thin air – construction needs materials and producing materials requires long-term planning and investment, so our industry needs clarity on what’s in the pipeline for the next 10 or 20 years, not the next 10 months. There is a widely recognised maxim ‘if you can’t grow it, you have to dig it.’ Clearly, this is not as recognised by government given the exemptions and subsidies some other industries enjoy. We also provide high-skill, well-paid jobs in regions most in need of economic growth.” Jackson concluded “Our overriding aim is for our sector to deliver for the UK by having economic conditions that reduce uncertainty and boost confidence to encourage investment for growth.”

US: Martin Marietta’s full-year consolidated sales were US$5.08bn in 2021, up by 15% year-on-year from US$4.43bn in 2020. Its cement sales rose by 9.3% to US$495m from US$453m. Overall, its adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 9.7% year-on-year to US$1.53bn from US$1.39bn.

The producer said that its Texas cement shipments increased by less than 1% to 1.1Mt in the fourth quarter of 2021. It attributed the record volume to demand growth from large and diversified projects and increased oil well cement demand. Nonetheless, higher energy and raw materials costs ultimately outpaced shipment and pricing gains.