Displaying items by tag: Plant

Portugal: Cimpor has appointed Mário Lopes as the director of its Alhandra cement plant.

Lopes started working for Cimpor in 1991 as a technician in the manufacturing and packaging department at the Alhandra plant. During his 25 tenure at the company, he has held various jobs including running the Loulé and Alhandra cement plants and managing the group’s industrial leadership in China. He has also worked for the group in Brazil, Egypt and Morocco.

India: Villagers from Talwandi Aklia and Karamgarh Autanwali in Punjab's Mansa district have opposed the construction of a local cement plant during a hearing by the Punjab Pollution Control Board, according to The Times of India newspaper. Members of the pro-environment organisation Public Action Committee mobilised villagers to participate, where they objected against the plant on the grounds of environmental hazards. JSW Cement is proposing a 6Mt/yr cement plant with two units of 3Mt/yr, and a standalone grinding unit on 19 hectares of land. The project must obtain environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change before it can go ahead.

Public Action Committee member Karnail Singh said “Talwandi Morcha was formed to mobilise people against the proposed project, and a seminar was held at Talwandi Aklia village on 11 July 2025 to sensitise people about the environmental impact in the area and on the lives of the people with the setting up of a red category industry.”

Libya: The Libya Africa Investment Portfolio (LAIP) is continuing preparations for the launch of the Misrata cement plant, with the technical committee appointed by the LAIP holding its 10th meeting, according to the Libyan Express. The committee discussed coordination with the National Oil Corporation for the supply of natural gas and heavy fuel oil to the plant and with the General Electricity Company of Libya for the supply of electricity for the plant’s operations. The committee also addressed infrastructure with the Ministry of Transport, regarding the construction of a 10km paved road from the plant to the national road network. China-based Sinoma Wuhan will be the primary contractor for the construction of the plant.

Zimbabwe: The government is ‘optimistic’ that Zimbabwe will become self-sufficient in cement by early 2026, according to The Herald newspaper. The Industry and Commerce Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu toured the country’s Chegutu cement plant, currently under construction, where he was upbeat about Zimbabwe’s cement manufacturing capabilities.

Ndlovu said “This project is addressing critical cement shortages that we are experiencing, leading to imports from neighbouring countries. We are happy that by the beginning of 2026, this plant will start producing cement, meaning that more than likely there will be no need to import.”

The plant is owned by China-based Shuntal Investment, and administration manager Yan Bo confirmed it had invested US$70m in the project. The plant will produce 0.8Mt/yr of cement. The project currently employs 300 local people, with total employment across Shuntal’s Zimbabwe operations expected to reach 4000.

Türkiye: The Malatya Metropolitan Municipality and the Malatya Chamber of Commerce and Industry plan to build a cement plant in the region through a joint venture, according to the Malatya Time newspaper. The proposed site is reportedly located near raw material resources. The City Council is reviewing a request to authorise MESTON, a municipal subsidiary, to begin feasibility studies, environmental assessments and legal preparations. The joint venture will initially be capitalised equally by both parties.

Mozambique: Moçambique Dugongo Cimentos will invest US$35m in a third cement plant in Ancuabe, Cabo Delgado province, according to local press. The plant is presumed to be a grinding facility due to the value of the investment. Project coordinator Anselmo Amurane said that the plant’s design is under development, with community consultations completed and environmental assessments pending. The start date for construction was not disclosed.

Amurane said “We hope to contribute to increasing the overall cement supply and production capacity,” adding that the project would employ 900 construction workers and 135 operational workers.

Moçambique Dugongo Cimentos is a joint venture between Mozambique-based SPI Gestão and China-based West International Holding. The plant operates two plants in the cities of Maputo and Nacala.

Zimbabwe: The Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) has called on the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development to suspend operations on a US$1bn cement project in Magunje, Mashonaland West, citing ‘a spiralling crisis’ of human rights abuses, forced displacements and environmental harm, according to Pindula News. The project is led by Labenmon Investments, in partnership with China-based West International Holding. It is expected to produce 0.9Mt/yr of cement and 1.8Mt/yr of clinker. The project will reportedly create 5000 jobs and spur local development, but CNRG has raised concerns on behalf of local communities.

There have been reports that communities have been forcefully removed from their ancestral lands and graves of relatives ‘desecrated’ in the wake of mining developments. The group also raised concerns about alleged ‘fraudulent consultations,’ with legally required village meetings bypassed and affected communities excluded from decision-making processes. The newspaper also reported that eight villagers from Kapere were arrested for standing up to the mining project and continue to be summoned to the court despite the complainants failing to appear. CNRG staff members also reportedly faced threats from the Zimbabwe National Army while conducting an inspection in Kemapondo village.

There are also reports of the local Magunje Dam being polluted by the cement plant and of fires sparked during land clearing exercises, which have razed farmlands. There are also concerns of labour violations, with employees allegedly working in dangerous conditions, below the minimum wage and without formal contracts. The Zimbabwe Diamond and Allied Minerals Workers Union has escalated the matter to the Labour Court.

Spain: Votorantim Cimentos España has appointed Rubén Sánchez as the director of its Niebla plant.

Sánchez has worked for Votorantim Cimentos España in a variety of production roles since 2012. He became the director of the Oural plant in 2022. Before this, he held production roles at Cimpor from 2001 to 2012. He holds a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Santiago de Compostela and a master’s in business administration qualification from the European Institute of Business Studies.

Poland: Holcim Polska has appointed Marek Michalski as Chief Operating Officer for Industry.

Michalski has worked for Holcim and related companies since 2000. He worked as the plant manager of Lafarge Canada’s Richmond cement plant from 2023 to 2025. Before this he was the plant manager of Holcim Polska’s Kujawy cement plant from 2018 to 2023. Michalski worked for Geocycle in 2017 and 2018. Prior to this he held positions with Lafarge, mostly in Poland, from 2000 to 2014. He notably became the plant manager of the Lwów cement plant in Ukraine in 2012 and 2013. Michalski holds a master’s degree in electrical and electronic engineering from the Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology and a master’s in business administration qualification from the Warsaw University of Technology.

Nigeria: Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru has established a 15-member committee to reactivate NIGERCEM, the country’s first locally-owned cement manufacturing company, located in Nkalagu.

He directed the committee to work with investors and shareholders to devise a plan for the immediate resumption of operations at the plant, which has been shut down for decades, and to submit its report within two weeks.

“Restoring the company was part of my campaign promise when I visited the area. I assured that the factory will be revived within my first tenure in office,” Nwifuru said.