Displaying items by tag: Licence

China: China Concrete has appealed against the Environmental Protection Department’s decision to reject its application to renew its licence to operate the cement storage facility at its Yau Tong concrete plant in Hong Kong. The concrete producer said that the rejection was both unfounded and unconventional. The Harbour Times newspaper has reported that the company alleged that state-owned local property developers Minmetals Limited, Qingjian Realty and Yuexiu Property pressured the authority.

Managing director Bono Tsang said, “As early as May last year, we expressed to the government our willingness to relocate the plant despite a huge investment cost, and we proactively proposed tentative locations. Our idea is to build a high-tech, pollution-free and environmentally friendly indoor concrete plant. It will become a model for similar plants around the world.”

Colombia: The Regional Autonomous Corporation of Antioquia (CorAntioquia) approved the modification of the environmental license of Cemex Colombia’s upcoming 1.0Mt/yr Cementera del Magdelena Medio integrated cement plant in Maceo, Antioquia. The modification will allow for the production of up to 1.5Mt/yr of cement annually. It will additionally enable the company to extract up to 990,000t/yr of limestone and clay. The producer called the authorisation an ‘important step’ towards the plant’s completion.

Cemex Colombia and Peru president Alejandro Ramírez said, "The modification of the environmental licence is a milestone that allows us to resume work to make this project a reality, through which it is expected that we will offer our materials for infrastructure and housing works in the country more efficiently."

Switzerland: The Federal Council has noted a report stating that, without extensions to raw material extraction licences, domestic cement production is set to decline by 36% from 2024. The Agence Télégraphique Suisse has reported that local producers are already restricted by limited legally available limestone and marl reserves. At present the local cement sector provides 86% of Switzerland’s 5Mt/yr domestic cement demand. The report by the Swiss Geological Survey states that acceptance of all proposed mining expansion projects in 2023 would delay the projected decline until the end of 2030.

Pakistan: Provincial Minerals Minister Hafiz Yasir has issued licences for the construction of eight new cement plants. The News International newspaper has reported that the state has already invested US$244m in one of the plants, and a further US$1.83bn-worth of upcoming cement production capacity will be located in the Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province.

Ethiopia: The Ministry of Trade and Industry says that it is granting licences for the import of 16Mt over the financial year ending 7 July 2021, the 2021 financial year. The Ethiopian Press Agency has reported that the cause of the measure is a cement shortage resulting in inflated prices. The order requires importers to import a minimum of 3000t of cement, and to begin importing before 8 December 2020.

Director of communication affairs Wondimu Flate said, “The directive was prepared in order to enable cement factories to produce at their full potential and to connect those engaged in the sector from the manufacturer and importer to the retail business, with supply and distribution being monitored and used.”

Paraguay: The government has re-opened borders to imports of cement due to a national shortage. The Última Hora newspaper has reported that importers will be free to bring cement into the country without having first applied for a provisional import licence. The situation is the result of growth in demand after the coronavirus lockdown and the suspension of production at Yguazú Cementos due to ‘a problem with a transformer.’ The government has already issued Yguazú Cementos with a 15,000t/yr cement import licence due to this.

India: The Cement Manufacturers Association (CMA) has contacted the Department for the Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade to urge its reconsideration of an expected decision that the CMA says will disrupt the mining sector, upon which eight key industries including cement depend. Indo-Asian News Service has reported that the government department may be considering the deletion of a provision of the Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation (Amendment) Act that gives a captive lease to reconnaissance permit (RP) and prospecting licence (PL) holders to begin mining for minerals discovered in the licenced area. The CMA has argued that introducing any additional stage between explorations and extraction “would not go well with the spirit of ‘ease of doing business.’” It added, “The industry would like development policies to be predictable and consistent to usher in fresh investments as well as to protect the efforts and hardships that go into establishing an industrial setup.”

India: The Bureau of Indian Standards has granted a licence to Counto Microfine Products (CMP), a joint venture of Ambuja Cements and medical company Alcon Group, for the production of micro-fine Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) cement. The Times of India newspaper has reported that CMP operates a grinding plant in the state of Goa.

Israel: The Environmental Protection Ministry (EPM) has granted Nesher-Israel Cement Enterprises a licence to substitute more refuse-derived fuels (RDF) for petcoke than was previously permitted at its 5Mt/yr integrated Ramle, Central District cement plant. The Times of Israel newspaper has reported that the licence also allows for greater metal emissions. The company said, “As is customary in the global cement industry, the Nesher plant in Ramle uses raw materials and alternative fuels, thus achieving a number of environmental goals, including reducing landfill, minimising the use of natural resources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

Nepal: The Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology (NBSM) has revoked the licences of two cement producers. It reported that International Cement and Reliance Supertek Cement had both sold cement below domestic commercial standards and continued to trade after receiving an order to halt sales. NBSM’s Bishwo Babu Pudasaini said, “We have intensified checks and collected samples from about a dozen cement plants for laboratory tests. These dangerous products undercut Nepal’s transition to cement self-reliance.”