Displaying items by tag: Infrastructure

UK: The UK government has announced Euro58.2m-worth of funding to support infrastructure spending, targeting innovation and technology projects. This will include a scoping study into developing a CO₂ storage testbed that will look at carbon capture and storage on an industrial scale. Other projects include a new radio telescope network, laboratories and Euro18.8m-worth of new digital research infrastructure. The government says that the new infrastructure aims to provide ‘strategic direction’ in the use of science and technology to overcome societal challenges and increase global prosperity. It said that the upgrade will secure the UK’s position as a ‘science superpower’ globally.

US: The Boston Globe newspaper has reported that the single biggest threat to the US government’s planned industrial reinvigoration based around a US$2.2tn federal infrastructure spending plan is a shortage of resources. The newspaper named a lack of workers and cement mills as particular concerns. It reported that the National Association of Home Builders has called for tariffs to be cut for certain key building materials such as lumber and that more cement should be imported.

Nepal: A report by the Nepal Rastra Bank has estimated that Nepal will require 26Mt/yr of cement by the 2024 – 25 financial year due to large-scale infrastructure projects. However, current production before the coronavirus pandemic was around 7.5Mt/yr despite the country’s production capacity of 15Mt/yr, according to the Kathmandu Post newspaper. Domestic consumption is 9Mt with around 1.5Mt of demand supplied from imports, mainly from India. The report added that most of the large projects in Nepal used cement imported from India due to issues with certification, consistent quality and the inability of local producers to offer bulk supply. In 2019 the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies forecast that the country’s cement production capacity could increase to 20Mt/yr by the end of the 2023 – 24 year.

Dhruba Raj Thapa, president of the Cement Manufacturers Association of Nepal, said that the data in the report by the bank contained errors. He pointed out that the country has a cement production capacity of 22Mt/yr and that it is already self-sufficient in the commodity. He also refuted the claims that infrastructure projects prefer imported cement.

Italy: Switzerland-based LafargeHolcim has announced its participation in a partnership to build the world’s first 3D-printed concrete bridge in Venice, Venice province. The company will supply cement for the project. The bridge will feature in the European Cultural Centre (ECC)’s Time Space Existence exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2021 from May 2021 to November 2021. Other partners for the project are ETH Zürich’s Block Research Group (BRG) and UK-based Zaha Hadid Architects’ Computation and Design Group.

Australia: Adbri says that it expects growth in domestic cement demand to continue beyond a present residential construction boom. The Australian Financial Review newspaper has reported that Adbri chief executive Nick Miller believes that house building has undergone a nationwide ‘pull-forward’ in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. The producer says that the government’s planned US$116bn infrastructure spend would insure a medium-term increase in cement demand. It gave as an example the Western Sydney Aerotropolis, which will require 500,000m³ of concrete. The company currently derives 45% of sales from non-residential construction.

India: Road Transport and MSME Minister Nitin Gadkari says that ‘huge demand’ is being created for steel and cement companies due to the rapid construction of road infrastructure. However, he also accused the industries of creating cartels and exploiting people, according to the Press Trust of India. The minister said that the government is now looking for some alternative for steel and cement. At a webinar Gadkari said that road construction has reached 37km/day day.

Kazakhstan: Steppe Cement’s cement sales in the first quarter of 2021 were US$11.3m, up by 22% year-on-year from US$9.27m in the first quarter of 2020. Volumes increased by 13% to 266,000t from 236,000t. The company said that it remained close to full capacity utilisation. It says that it increased its Kazakh cement market share to over 13%. The market grew by 12% year-on-year in total. The producer reported an 11% price rise and constant levels of tariffs and rental expenses.

Steppe Cement forecast an increase in domestic cement demand due to government infrastructure and housing projects.

US: The Portland Cement Association (PCA) has predicted a rise in US cement demand in 2021 and 2022 in its Spring 2021 Cement Consumption and Construction Activity Outlook. The report stated that mortgage rates are expected to remain low throughout 2021, prompting single-family construction. Non-residential cement consumption declines are expected to continue from 2020 in to 2021 and 2022, though with decreasing impact. Predicted oil price rises will increase oil well cement consumption.

The association welcomed a proposed US$2.2Tn eight-year federal government infrastructure spending programme. Chief economist and senior vice president Ed Sullivan warned of the proposal’s inherent political weakness in its inclusion of US$1.2Tn-worth of low or no-cement projects. He said that the opposition would latch on to this as grounds to oppose the necessary tax rises for the funding.

Sullivan said, “This recovery is predicated on continued progress in fighting Covid-19. The rapid pace of vaccinations and increased mask usage have resulted in a decline in death rates from over 3,000 daily in January 2021 to less than 825 daily in April 2021.” said Sullivan. “The Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME)’s current forecast suggests a sustained and significant decline in daily Covid-19 deaths to less than 170. Progress associated with Covid-19 is the critical factor in the near-term outlook.” He added, “After committing to spending US$5.2Tn in Covid-19 relief and adding another US$2.0Tn in operations, the federal US debt could rise by US$7.0Tn in 2020 - 2021. This puts the discussion of the Biden US$2.2Tn infrastructure proposal into context. The proposal must pay for itself, which means higher taxes. While investing in traditional infrastructure such as roads and bridges has bi-partisan appeal, tax increases and some programmes dubiously labelled as infrastructure have caused concern. This concern threatens the potential passage of the initiative.”

US: Cemex USA, part of Mexico-based Cemex, has won a contract to supply 90,700t of cement and 153,000m³ of concrete for the latest phase of construction of the Houston Grand Parkway. The cement and concrete will help build the road’s I-1 and I-2 sections. The ring road around Houston is the longest of its kind in the US. Cemex USA will provide a portable central mix plant for the project.

Texas regional president Scott Ducoff said “Cemex USA is proud to be part of an iconic infrastructure project in our headquarters city of Houston, and one that will help ease traffic and improve local travel for commuters.” He added “Completing the Grand Parkway is a significant endeavour and opportunity for us to continue to innovate how we efficiently and effectively deliver our best-in-class materials to meet the demands of inspiring projects such as this one.”

Several of South Africa’s cement and concrete producers joined up in early March 2021 to form an industry association called Cement & Concrete SA (CCSA). The Concrete Institute, Concrete Society of Southern Africa and the Association of Cementitious Material Producers established the organisation to, “take the lead on all matters relating to cement and concrete in South Africa.” Setting up an organisation like this takes time and it fits with the move in recent years of thinking about the whole building materials chain rather than just focusing on one part. The country is also in the first phase of its carbon tax and no doubt producers feel they need to make a renewed effort to fight their corner. Other aspects such as promoting the ‘value creation story’ of the cement and concrete industry in South Africa, research and training also makes sense.

The timing here is compelling due to the ongoing review of anti-dumping measures that were levied by the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (ITAC) upon imports by Pakistan-based cement producers. Local media in South Africa reported that ITAC started reviewing the tariffs in December 2020 in a process expected to take up to 18 months in duration. As reported in January 2021 (GCW 489), imports to the country fell after ITAC introduced tariffs in 2015 but they have started to edge up since then, particularly from producers in other countries such as Vietnam and China. Separately, the CCSA may have scored an early victory with the news that its application that government-based infrastructure projects should only use locally-produced cement was working its way through the government.

Looking at the general market, PPC reported ‘muted’ sales of cement in April and May 2020 due to the country’s first coronavirus-related lockdown from late March 2020. Similar to some other countries, construction projects halted and cement plants stopped producing. However, the market bounced back as the restrictions were relaxed with strong sales from June 2020 to September 2020 for the leading producer. It noted that the increase in volumes was mainly due to consumer retail although it noted that government infrastructure cement demand was also starting to be felt. PPC’s cement sales volumes fell by 5 – 10% in South Africa and Botswana from April to June 2020 but then rose by 20 – 25% from July to September 2020. The continuation of this sales momentum was also noted in October and November 2020. Dangote Cement’s operations in the country reported a similar situation, with sales up by 7% year-on-year in the first nine months of 2020 due to a surge in home improvement related demand after the first lockdown ended. Similar to PPC, it reckoned that demand increased by 25 - 30% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2020 as limitations in travel and entertainment led to some people saving money instead.

After the summer sales bounce, producers were soon complaining about rising import levels in the autumn of 2020 with volumes catching up with the amounts recorded in 2019. Hence the ITAC review is a timely reminder of the perils facing local producers.

South Africa’s general coronavirus experience has been an outlier compared to the rest of Africa with higher cases and deaths reported. Yet, it’s still reported lower per capita rates than many comparable countries in Europe and the Americas. Like the UK and Brazil, the country also holds the dubious distinction of having a coronavirus variant named after it. Its cement market appeared to snap back with pent up demand following the lifting of restrictions in common with other countries that implemented tougher public health rules. At which point the importers caught up again a few months later. The effects of South Africa’s second wave of coronavirus led to a lockdown in late December 2020. The effects upon building materials sales are likely to be less drastic than previously because this lockdown has had lighter restrictions compared to March 2020. Surrounded by all of this, the CCSA has sure picked a busy time to start work.