India: Roofsol Energy has won a contract to supply solar power plants with a total capacity of 10.5MW for Shree Cement in Jharkhand and Uttarakhand, Saur Energy News has reported.

Roofsol Energy said “Shree Cement owns and operates cement grinding units in nine locations across India and owns production facilities in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka and has operations in India and UAE. The company carries out power generation through waste heat recovery plants and now it is adopting solar plants as well.”

Zimbabwe: PPC Zimbabwe says that a planned fly ash beneficiation project at a power plant in Zimbabwe will now take place in early 2025 instead of in 2024. This is due to delays in accessing the power plant to complete the design and commercial contract, according to the cement producer. The Chronicle newspaper has reported that, as a result, PPC Zimbabwe’s capital expenditure investments so far in 2024 are behind its previous full-year guidance of US$31.8m.

Italy: Bedeschi has finalised a new contract to supply Buzzi Unicem’s Guidonia integrated cement plant with a double-stage crushing unit. Each machine has a capacity of 750t/hr with two 315kW power systems installed. The system will receive limestone lumps of up to 600mm in diameter and will output limestone lumps below 50mm. No value for the order has been disclosed.

Ukraine: The Ukrainian government has approved the construction of the €35.6m Galicia building materials complex in Kalush, Ivano-Frankivsk Region. The complex will include a cement plant. Business World News has reported that the government expects the Galicia complex to generate 1000 new jobs.

China: China Tianrui Group Cement's sales were US$1.09bn in 2023, down by 32% year-on-year from US$1.60bn. Reuters has reported that the company recorded a full-year loss of US$87.6m, where previously it recorded a profit of US$62m in 2022.

India: Udaipur Cement has commissioned a new grinding unit at its Udaipur cement plant in Rajasthan. The unit more than doubles the plant’s grinding capacity from 2.2Mt/yr to 4.7Mt/yr. Capital Market News has reported that the Udaipur plant now has an integrated capacity of 3Mt/yr, following the establishment of a second 1.5Mt/yr clinker line there in October 2023.

The company said "Udaipur Cement has been a pioneer in the promotion of various green initiatives. The company is the only one in the entire Indian cement industry with a 1MW floating solar power plant at its mines. During the fourth quarter of the 2024 financial year, the company also doubled its Udaipur cement plant’s waste heat recovery capacity from 6MW to 12MW. This has enabled Udaipur Cement to achieve a green energy share of more than 50% in total electrical energy consumption."

Egypt: Sinai Cement reported a reduction in its consolidated net loss after tax in 2023, amounting to US$2.57m, down from US$7m in 2022. The company's net sales saw an increase, reaching US$90.8m in 2023, up from US$49.6m the previous year.

Italy: Buzzi reported a net profit of €967m in 2023, more than doubling from €459m in the previous year. The company's consolidated revenue rose by 8.1% to €4.3bn, despite a fall in cement and concrete sales volumes of 7% and 12.7% respectively. Earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) reached €1.2bn, marking a 40.7% year-on-year increase.

Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos has made progress in reducing its carbon footprint, reporting embodied CO₂ emissions of 556kg/t of cement produced in 2023, a 4% year-on-year decrease. The company aims to reach a target of 475kg of CO₂/t by 2030, aligning with the Science Based Target initiative standards.

The company's decarbonisation strategy involves four stages: co-processing, which involves substituting fossil fuel with biomass and waste; use of cementitious materials to replace clinker; enhancing energy efficiency and use of renewable energy; and developing new technologies and materials, including carbon capture. In 2023, Votorantim Cimentos achieved a 31% global thermal substitution rate through co-processing, an increase from 26.5% in 2022, with a goal of reaching 53% by 2030. The clinker factor was reduced to 72.8% in 2023 from 73.9% in 2022. This reduction means a decrease in emissions, with a target clinker factor of 68% set for 2030. Additionally, 35.1% of the electricity consumed by Votorantim Cimentos in 2023 came from renewable sources, an increase from 22.9% in 2022, with an aim of 45% by 2030.

Álvaro Lorenz, global director of sustainability, institutional relations, product development, engineering, and energy at Votorantim Cimentos, said "The most competitive and sustainable companies will be those with the lowest emissions. In all countries where we operate, we are committed to advancing in our decarbonisation journey, in line with our goal of producing carbon-neutral concrete by 2050."

Votorantim Cimentos’ environmental efforts were recognised with an A score by CDP and a Top-Rated Industry company distinction by Sustainalytics in the Latin American building materials sector. The company also announced a US$989m investment to further reduce its CO₂ emissions. This includes a project at Salto de Pirapora to increase thermal substitution, with expected completion by 2028. Votorantim Cimentos has also started constructing a solar energy complex in Paracatu, with an estimated capacity of 470MWp.

South Korea: A recent study from Daejeon explored the potential of low-lime calcium silicate cement as a low CO₂ emission alternative to Ordinary Portland Cement. Researchers from the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources examined the setting and flow characteristics of a mixture of Ordinary Portland Cement and low-lime calcium silicate cement under carbonation curing conditions. The study was financially supported by the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy's industrial strategic technology development programme.

The study aimed to explore the reaction and microstructural characteristics of these cement pastes. The low-lime calcium silicate cement was synthesised using limestone and silica fume, with varying proportions added to the Portland cement pastes. The research findings suggest improvements in compressive strength with the inclusion of 30% or more low-lime calcium silicate cement, highlighting its ability to enhance the durability and sustainability of construction materials.