Kyrgyzstan: Starting on 1 October 2024, Kyrgyzstan will enforce a six-month road import ban on several types of cement including Portland cement, alumina cement and slag cement, according to Trend. The Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Akylbek Japarov, signed the decree affecting both ready and clinker forms of these cements. According to the State Statistical Committee of Kyrgyzstan, a 76% year-on-year increase in cement imports from January - May 2024 has been reported, totalling 125,737t. These imports are predominantly from Iran, Kazakhstan, China and Uzbekistan.

China: Eaton and Langham hotels have collaborated with Green Island Cement to transform 8t of oyster shells into a sustainable cement alternative, sourcing 80% of the required limestone for cement.

Amie Lai Gor, general manager of sustainability at Great Eagle Holdings, parent company of the two hotels, said "We brought together like-minded partners to repurpose oyster shells as a sustainable raw material alternative for cement production. Our goal is to encourage more hotels and restaurants to participate, diverting more discarded oyster shells from landfills through upcycling.”

Raymond Cheung Wai-man, division manager at Green Island Cement, highlighted past challenges of separating the shells from impurities like mud and residual meat, which initially deterred the project.

Lai Gor added that future plans include working with local universities to assess the carbon reduction potential of substituting limestone with oyster shells in cement production. Despite the higher costs—tenfold compared to traditional limestone—Cheung believes that scaling up could significantly lower expenses.

Ukraine: CRH Ukraine has announced plans to purchase a 99.9775% stake in Dyckerhoff Cement Ukraine, which operates two cement plants in the Rivne and Mykolayiv regions, according to Business World Magazine. The notification was made public on 12 August 2024, detailing the acquisition of over 158 million shares. Currently, CRH and its affiliates do not hold any shares in Dyckerhoff Cement Ukraine.

Philippines: Thailand-based producer Shera announced that its upcoming fibre cement plant in Mabalacat, Pampanga, has reached 60% completion and is on schedule to commence commercial operations by January 2025. The plant will be the company’s first production facility outside Thailand, capable of producing 0.24Mt/yr of fibre cement. The Mabalacat facility will also export to Taiwan, South Korea and parts of North Asia and Oceania and will create jobs for up to 150 people.

Ongek Taechamahaphant, chair and director, said “Our Mabalacat plant is a major step in Shera’s plan to expand further in the Philippine market. We know that once this facility is fully operational by 2025, more Filipinos will easily be able to access our eco-friendly and durable fibre cement products.”

Philippines: Cemex has received approval from the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) to sell 90% of Cemex Holdings Philippines's shares. The approval relates to a joint acquisition by DMCI Holdings, Semirara Mining and Power and Dacon of shares in Cemex Asian South East Corporation, which holds a major stake in Cemex Holdings Philippines. This clearance is a requirement for finalising the transaction, contingent on further compliance by the acquiring companies.

Vietnam: Taiwan has launched an anti-dumping investigation into cement and clinker imported from Vietnam. The Trade Remedies Authority of Vietnam announced that Taiwan's inquiry, initiated on 8 August 2024, focuses on cement and clinker with the import codes 2523.29.90.00.2 and 2523.10.90.00.3, requested by the Taiwan Cement Manufacturers Association. The investigation will assess imports from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024, targeting seven specific Vietnamese companies, among other exporters. The Vietnamese companies are mandatory respondents in this investigation and must engage fully by submitting the required information to the Ministry of Finance within the stipulated 20 days from initiation of the investigation.

Vietnam: Several Vietnamese cement producers have reported losses in the first half of 2024, attributing the downturn to reduced domestic demand and competitive pricing pressures, reports Vietnam Investment Review. Vicem But Son recorded losses of US$1.5m in the second quarter of 2024, marking its seventh consecutive quarter of losses, with a 2024 first half revenue figure of US$50m, down by 10%, and total losses reaching US$3.83m. Vicem Hai Van also continued its decline, with a 43% drop in second quarter revenue to just over US$4m and losses of US$396,000. Vicem leaders said that challenges arose due to a reduced demand following limited civil engineering projects and a stagnant real estate market.

Despite the sector's overall downturn, firms like Vicem Ha Tien and Chinfon have recorded profits, with Ha Tien posting US$141m in revenue and US$875,000 in profits, and Chinfon doubling its yearly profit to US$25,250. However, the outlook for the remainder of 2024 remains bleak, with anticipated difficulties in market recovery and increasing input costs. Acoording to Vicem, the cost of electricity will continue increasing, while the demand for cement is not anticipated to recover before the end of 2024.

US: Heidelberg Materials North America has finalised award negotiations with the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations. The Mitchell cement plant in Indiana will receive US$300,000 to begin the first phase of its decarbonisation project, part of a broader initiative of up to US$500m in DOE funding to support full-scale carbon capture, transport and storage developments. The Mitchell cement plant has tripled its previous production capacity, with this project aiming to capture and process about 2Mt/yr of CO₂.

Chris Ward, president and CEO of Heidelberg Materials North America, said "This critical milestone of bringing our project under award with the US Department of Energy is a significant step in building the first full-scale application of carbon capture and storage for the cement industry in the US.”

Denmark: FLSmidth has reported a 23% decline in group revenue for the second quarter of 2024. Despite the decline, gross profit rose by 5% to US$233m from US$221m in the same period in 2023. The cement division experienced a revenue decrease of 32%, though it achieved an adjusted earnings before interest, tax and amortisation (EBITA) margin of 9.6%.

Group CEO Mikko Keto said "Our performance in the first half of 2024 is testament to our continued strong progression across all our key transformation activities, with additional improvements in profitability. The largely stable cement market continues to provide good opportunities for our service business. Looking ahead, the resilience of our service-oriented business model, our continued focus on business simplification to ensure a cost-efficient operating model and our dedicated focus on strategy execution gives us great confidence that we are well on track to meet our long-term financial ambitions."

Latvia/Lithuania: Capsol Technologies has won a contract to carry out two CapsolGo carbon capture demonstration campaigns at the Brocēni cement plant in Latvia and the Akmenės Cementas cement plant in Lithuania. Both plants are owned by Germany’s Schwenk Zement. Following a feasibility study earlier in 2024, the demonstrations will run from the fourth quarter of 2024 to the fourth quarter of 2025 and will showcase the CapsolEoP capture technology.

Philipp Staggat, chief product officer of Capsol Technologies, said "CapsolEoP offers lower energy consumption with higher CO₂ concentration than competitive technologies, and the capture cost for cement owners is reduced further as it doesn't require external steam supply. We are looking forward to demonstrating our technology on Schwenk's cement plants.”

CEO of Akmenės Cementas, Arturas Zaremba added "In collaboration with our clients and stakeholders, we are dedicated to addressing these challenges. The implementation of CapsolEoP technology at our Latvian and Lithuanian plants is a testament to our commitment, marking a significant stride towards the goal of capturing over 1.5Mt/yr of CO₂.”