Displaying items by tag: Shutdown

Nepal: Udayapur Cement Industry resumed operations on 24 April 2025, despite ongoing legal disputes and internal administrative obstructions, according to acting general manager Mahesh Sah. The plant ceased all activities in late November 2024. It began kiln firing at 10:40am local time and expected clinker production to begin after eight hours of machine operation.

The plant aims to produce approximately 400t/day of clinker. Coal and dinepalesel stocks are expected to last 12 days. Sah noted that coordination has been made with the Nepal Electricity Authority, which has assured uninterrupted power supply despite outstanding dues. Udayapur Cement, a fully state-owned enterprise, has a daily production capacity of 800t/day.

Ghana: At a recent stakeholder meeting, Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare instructed the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) to shut down cement companies that produce substandard products, according to Adom Online.

“Close down companies that are defaulting with substandard products to stop production until they can prove they can consistently produce quality products,” Ofosu-Adjare said.

She added that price should not be used to justify poor quality cement and warned of the risks posed by substandard materials in public buildings like hotels. She pledged to conduct regular inspections of cement plants to enforce compliance.

The Cement Manufacturers Development Committee Regulation L.I. 2480 and the GSA Act 2022 allow the Minister and the GSA to revoke licences and halt the sale of non-compliant cement.

Bangladesh: Chhatak Cement Factory has ceased production due to severe gas and limestone shortages, despite a modernisation project having reached 91% completion.

The Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) began a US$54.7m project to convert the plant’s production process from wet to dry in 2016, in order to increase capacity to 1500t/day (0.45Mt/yr). The project cost rose to US$116m, with US$68m spent by November 2024. However, the plant remains idle despite the completion of construction works over a year ago, due to the lack of a new gas pipeline and ropeway to import limestone from India. This ropeway was supposed to transport limestone from the Komorrah Limestone Mining Company in Meghalaya.

The project's committee has proposed extending the deadline to June 2026 and allocating an additional US$25m for a 43km gas pipeline from Sylhet to Chhatak. Trial runs are now being conducted every 15 days in order to prevent the plant’s machinery from rusting.

Project director Abdur Rahman Badsha said that the Chinese contractor responsible for the ropeway construction, Nanjing C-Hope Cement Engineering Group, is awaiting a subcontracting agreement with KLMC to begin work in India.

UAE: A cement plant in Fujairah has halted operations after a malfunction caused thick smoke to rise from the chimney, according to local news reports. The Fujairah Environment Authority conducted an inspection to ensure compliance with environmental regulations and laws. The plant consequently initiated an immediate shutdown and submitted a plan to repair the malfunction and prevent future issues.

Kenya: The Ministry of Mining has ordered the shut down all mining operations at East Africa Portland Cement Company due to a US$4m debt the company owes the government. The cement producer has also been accused of operating illegally since 2016, according to Citizen Digital. Its sites have reportedly been lacking safety equipment, not registering vehicles that transport limestone and other infringements. Police have been sent to the company’s quarries to ensure they stop work.

The East Africa Portland Cement Company runs quarries at Portland and Sparetech in Kajiado and Kibini in Sultan Hamud.

US: Dragon Products reportedly plans to lay off six employees at its Thomaston, Maine, cement plant later in 2024, in the plant’s on-going transition from cement production to distribution only. This will reduce the plant’s total employees to 20, down by 76% from 85 at the start of the year. Local press has reported that rising operating costs, including for energy and transport, led to the move.

The Thomaston plant continues to process ‘residual’ raw materials and has begun implementation of its new distribution strategy, taking delivery of 30,000t of bagged cement via the port of Searsport. A second delivery is scheduled for October 2024.

China: The National Development and Reform Commission, along with other government departments, has launched the Special Action Plan for Energy Conservation and CO₂ Reduction in the Cement Industry. The plan aims to cap clinker capacity at 1.8Bnt/yr by 2026, with 30% of it above the national energy efficiency benchmark level. This will reduce energy consumption per tonne by 3.7% from 2020 levels. The plan will eliminate 13Mt of CO₂ emissions and 5Mt of coal consumption in 2024 – 2025.

US: Cemex has contested Boulder County's decision to terminate its right to operate the Lyons cement plant and is calling for the decision to be reversed, citing ‘significant’ implications for the state and local employment. The dispute follows a notice from the Boulder Country Community Planning office in April 2024, attributing increased traffic as the primary reason for the termination. The county and the Colorado Department of Transportation began investigating the plant in 2022, after residents of the area complained.

Cemex stated in its response to Boulder County "The Department's conclusion did not take into account the historical trucking of material to and from the Lyons cement plant, relying instead on a study Cemex voluntarily undertook for the Colorado Department of Transportation for a different purpose, and that considered only three days of traffic data in each of two consecutive years. The determination also failed to apply applicable precedent that a nonconforming use does not terminate when traffic occurring off-site changes."

The Community Planning and Permitting Director will now review the additional evidence brought forth by Cemex and issue an additional determination. Depending on the outcome, Cemex will have the option to appeal the decision to the Boulder County Board of Commissioners. The closing of the Lyons plant would lead to the loss of 100 jobs and only two cement plants remaining in Colorado.

US: Boulder County has initiated action to terminate the operating licence of the Cemex cement plant near Lyons, Colorado, citing improper expansion of use. Dale Case, director of Boulder County Community Planning and Permitting, sent a notice to the company, motivated by a ‘significant’ rise in traffic. The letter said that the increased traffic created a need for new traffic construction and infrastructure, and requires a new access permit from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT).

The plant has been operational since 1965, but faced changes in 1994 when Boulder County amended its land use code, necessitating special use approval for open mining at the Dowe Flats Quarry. The special use approval for the quarry expired on 30 September 2022, leading to termination of all mining operations and multiple complaints alleging the cement plant's non-compliance with county code and traffic congestion. A CDOT study revealed an increase in truck traffic since the quarry's closure, with daily trips increasing by 50% year-on-year.

Cemex now has a 30-day window to contest the director's determination, reduce plant use, or appeal to the Boulder County Board of Commissioners. The plant will continue operating under existing conditions until a final decision is reached.

Kenya: East African Portland Cement (EAPCC) has closed its Athi River plant for a US$3m upgrade to boost production capacity.

Oliver Kirubai, EAPCC's managing director, said "We are doing the second phase of our machines upgrade, which is basically targeting to increase our output. Our target is that by June 2026 we should be able to produce 1Mt/yr of cement." He added "Seven local contractors are spearheading the upgrade of this plant. They will work with us during the 25-day closure of this facility." The current production capacity of the plant is 310,000t/yr.

EAPCC recorded a loss of US$9.8m for the financial year ending June 2023, despite making a profit of US$4m in the previous year. This shift was due to increased costs elevating the firm's cost of sales to US$29.4m from US$29.9m, despite a 37% increase in revenues to US$21.9m from US$15.9 in the previous year.