Displaying items by tag: Plant

Pakistan: Lucky Cement and China-based China Sinoma Energy Conservation have signed a deal to upgrade the waste heat recovery (WHR) units on both production lines at the integrated Pezu cement plant. When the project is completed it will increase the output to 14MW from 10MW at present. No value for the order has been disclosed. Sinoma supplied the plant’s original WHR units in 2017.

Pakistan: The All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) says that the country’s installed cement production capacity will reach 99Mt/yr within the next few years, with most of the planned work to be completed by mid-2023. The Dawn newspaper has reported that producers are launching new cement plant projects and expanding existing plants with a total new capacity of 18Mt/yr. Upon completion, the current projects will increase domestic cement production capacity by 43% to 99Mt/yr from 69Mt/yr. 94Mt/yr of the new capacity is situated in Northern Pakistan and 5.0Mt/yr in Southern Pakistan.

APCMA says that the reason behind the new expansion cycle is estimated annual sales growth of 10 – 15% from 2021.

North Korea: The North Korea government says that it will supply 10,000t/yr of cement to every city and county in the country. The new target will help to fulfil the aims of the January 2021 Five Year Plan, under which the state aims to build 10,000 apartments/year in Pyongyang and 5000 apartments/year in Komdok. The 38 North project has reported that in order to realise this vision, it plans to establish 8.0Mt/yr of new capacity via upgrades and new projects by January 2026.

In March 2021 a North Korean delegation visited a Chinese cement plant to learn about modern cement production.

China: Malaysia-based YTL Corporation has has sold its 100% stake in Zhejiang Hangzhou Dama Cement. The company acquired the producer in 2007. It operates a cement plant located in the Lin’an district of Zhejiang Province. Executive chair Francis Yeoh said that it chose the time to sell based on the high current valuation of the subsidiary.

Managing director Datuk Seri Michael Yeoh Sock Siong said that the disposal was aligned with the group’s focus on becoming a regional cement industry leader in Southeast Asia. He said "Dama was our first substantial foray into China’s cement industry. The vital insight and knowledge that we have gained will be used in our plans to expand our operations within Southeast Asia."

Russia: LafargeHolcim Russia has appointed Andrey Polezhaev as the director of its integrated Schurovsky plant in Kolomna, Kaluga Oblast. He previously worked at the plant, from 2015 to 2017, as head of the repair service and has worked for the group since 1998.

The Schurovsky plant celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2020. Located close to Moscow, it has supplied cement for many well known infrastructure projects in the region including the reconstruction of the Luzhniki Stadium, which hosted the final of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the construction of runways at Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo airports, the modernisation of the Kaluzhskoe highway and the creation of the Central Ring Road. It is also the only plant in Russia that produces white cement.

Canada/US: Brazil-based Votorantim Cimentos and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) have completed the transaction to merge their cement operations in North America. After having obtained regulatory approval from authorities in Brazil, Canada and the US, St Marys Cement (Canada), a wholly owned subsidiary of Votorantim Cimentos can now commence with the integration process with McInnis Cement. As part of the transaction, the parties will combine their North American assets in a jointly-held entity. Votorantim Cimentos International, the international investments platform and wholly owned subsidiary of Votorantim Cimentos, will hold 83% and CDPQ will indirectly hold 17% of the shares.

The combined entity will comprise operations in Bowmanville and St Marys, in Ontario, Canada and in Detroit and Charlevoix in Michigan, Dixon in Illinois and Badger in Wisconsin in the US, along with a distribution network concentrated in the Great Lakes region - plus the Port-Daniel–Gascons plant and its distribution operations, including terminals located in Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and the Northeastern region of the US.

Oman: The government is reportedly considering selling its majority stake in Oman Cement. Unnamed sources quoted by Bloomberg say that the authorities have been discussing the matter with financial advisors but that no final decision has been reached. The government owns a 54% stake in the cement producer through the Oman Investment Authority.

In separate reporting, Oman Cement Company has postponed its proposed US$250m Duqm cement plant project while it confirms the availability of fuel. In March 2021 the cement producer issued a tender for a related power plant project, according to the Muscat Daily newspaper. The proposed plant will have a clinker production capacity of 5000t/day.

Nigeria: Dangote Cement’s revenue grew by 35.5% year-on-year to US$874m in the first quarter of 2021 from US$655m in the same period in 2020. Cement sales volumes rose by 18.7% to 7.5Mt from 6.3Mt. Earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased by 56% to US$468m from US$300m. Revenue and sales volumes increased fastest in Nigeria but earnings increased faster in the rest of Africa.

“We took the strategic decision to pause our clinker exports to ensure we meet the rapid volume growth in the Nigerian domestic market. We are improving the output of our existing and new assets and aim to recommence clinker exports in the second quarter,” said Michel Puchercos, the company’s chief executive officer. He added that the company had also ramped-up its new 3Mt/yr Obajana Line 5.

India: Jaiprakash Associates has suspended operations at its cement plants in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh from 1 May 2021 due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. The company say it will continue maintenance activities of these plants during this time. It described the situation as ‘dynamic’ and plans to resume operations after ongoing analysis.

Laos: Workers at the Guestown-Lao cement plant have been paid back wages in a dispute. All 170 employees owed money by the Guestown-Lao company plant in Luang Prabang province’s Nam Bak district have now received US$42,000 from the plant’s new owner, according to Radio Free Asia. Some of the former employees of the plant have also returned to work under the new management.

Provincial authorities detained the Chinese owner of the Guestown-Lao plant in April 2021, accused him of failing to pay wages to his Lao workers in November 2020 and subsequently filed criminal charges against him. He is now awaiting trial on the charges. The company has since been taken over by China-based Jian Qe.