Malaysia: Masiung Banah, the chair of Borneo Cement, has said that no forest clearance is taking place at the site of a proposed integrated cement plant in Tongod region. He explained that logging had taken place at the site before the project was proposed, according to the Star newspaper. The company added that it holds Environmental Impact Assessment approval to build a quarry and connecting road. It made a statement on the issue in response to the issue being raised by the Warisan Party at the Sabah state assembly in late November 2024.

Borneo Cement is a joint-venture between the Sabah state government and China-based Sinoma Industry. It plans to invest around US$270m in the project. Commissioning is scheduled from early 2026.

India: The cement sector in India is forecast to reach a market size of 509Mt/yr by the 2029 financial year. A report published by Infomerics Ratings made the prediction based on a market size of 382Mt in the 2023 financial year and a compound annual growth rate of 4.9%. The credit agency noted the cement sector’s mean growth rate of 5.37% over the last decade and the low cement consumption per capita compared to the global average. It also pointed out that the local cement sector “…faced significant pricing challenges, primarily due to weak demand across various regions.” Demand was reportedly low during the first half of the 2025 financial year leading to lower prices particularly in the south of the country.

Thailand/UK: Thailand-based Siam Cement Thung Song has joined the World Cement Association as a corporate member. The cement producer is a subsidiary of Siam Cement Group that operates an integrated plant in the south of the country.

India/US: Shares in Gautam Adani-led conglomerates fell by 20% on 21 November 2024 after prosecutors in the US filed bribery charges against Adani and his associates. They allege a US$250m payoff to Indian officials to secure solar power contracts. Adani, along with seven co-defendants, including his nephew Sagar Adani, is accused of paying the bribes to secure contracts for what would become India's largest solar power project, projected to generate US$2bn in profits over the next 20 years.

The companies affected in the share fall included the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), which holds stakes in seven Adani companies, including ACC and Ambuja Cement, as well as Adani Enterprises, Adani Ports, Adani Green Energy, Adani Energy Solutions and Adani Total Gas.

Adani Group has denied the allegations, calling them ‘baseless.’

UK: Cemex UK has announced that it will begin to use hydrogen on an industrial scale at its Rugby cement plant in Warwickshire. It will do so via HiiROC, a UK-based start-up that has received backing from Cemex Ventures. HiiROC produces carbon-neutral hydrogen using its proprietary Thermal Plasma Electrolysis (TPE) process, which requires just 20% of the electrical energy used in water electrolysis and captures carbon as a solid byproduct, avoiding CO₂ emissions. HiiROC’s modular solution can be deployed as single units to full-scale industrial plants. The hydrogen produced can be used as an alternative energy source to fuel clinker production processes, helping Cemex to achieve its decarbonisation goals.

"Our investment in this innovative project alongside HiiROC reinforces Cemex's commitment to transform the industry by working hand in hand with disruptive startups and new technologies," said Gonzalo Galindo, the head of Cemex Ventures. "Hydrogen as an alternative energy source has the ability to significantly reduce CO₂ emissions in our operations, aligning with our 2050 goal of becoming a net-zero CO₂ company and a leader in the industrial use of hydrogen."

Kenya: Amsons Group, a Tanzanian business conglomerate with interests in power, construction, cement and concrete, has received regulatory approval from Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa’s (Comesa) Competition Commission for its proposed acquisition of up to 100% of Bamburi Cement. The commission confirmed that the proposed acquisition falls within its ambit and does not pose a competition risk within the common market, with a statement saying “It is unlikely that the proposed merger will lead to the creation of a dominant position that would enable the parties to engage in unilateral conduct in the market.”

In July 2024 Amsons Group issued a binding offer to acquire up to a 100% stake in Bamburi Cement through its Kenyan subsidiary and investment vehicle, Amsons Industries (K) Ltd.

Speaking as he welcomed the Comesa Competition Commission’s approval, Amsons Group CEO Edha Nahdi said that the transaction is part of the group’s strategy to expand its footprint to the Kenyan market and trade across East Africa, saying “The approval is a significant boost to our offer as we continue to engage investors of Bamburi Cement. We remain confident that our acquisition bid will be successful as it presents a win-win scenario for the investors and our two countries.”

Iraq: Sinoma International Engineering, China's largest provider of cement engineering services, has secured a US$351.5m engineering procurement contract to build a 1000MW solar power plant in Iraq for Mass Renewable Energy Production, part of the Mass Group which also operates a 6Mt/yr cement plant in Bazian, Iraq.

The turnkey contract, to be built in Al-Kut, will take 21 months to build, leading to completion by the third quarter of 2026.

Nigeria: Lafarge Africa has unveiled a Mathematics Masterclass for Senior Secondary School students from both public and private schools across Ewekoro and Sagamu Local Government Areas, where the company’s manufacturing plants are located. The company explained that the initiative, which was part of its corporate social responsibility efforts, aimed to address the high failure rates in mathematics and science subjects among students in its host communities.

At events held separately in Sagamu and Ewekoro, Lolu Alade-Akinyemi, CEO of Lafarge Africa, emphasised the importance of mathematics as a key subject, stating “Mathematics is a fundamental subject that unites science and humanities. This is a major reason for why Lafarge is investing in it. We want to help students to improve in this subject and to better equip them for the future.”

Chile: Cementos Bío Bío (Cbb) will likely have new owners soon, as the US group Mississippi Lime Company has offered to acquire 100% of the company for nearly US$400m and shareholders are now negotiating its sale. The producer’s board authorised a due diligence process in May 2024, which has now been substantially concluded. A shareholder of Cbb, Peru's Yura, launched an offer in November 2024 for 20% of the Chilean cement company, thus reaching 40% of the shares. Yura bought 20% of Cbb for US$50m in 2019.

Belgium: Holcim has selected the joint venture between BESIX and DENYS as the main contractor for the civil works of the upgrade at its Obour, Mons, plant. The GO4ZERO project will produce nearly 2.3Mt/yr of carbon-neutral cementitious materials by 2029. In a separate contract, BESIX’s subsidiary Franki Foundations is handling the deep foundations. Work began in August 2024 and will conclude in February 2025.