New Zealand: Neocrete, a New Zealand start-up that decarbonises concrete production, has raised US$4m in seed funding. Wavemaker Partners, a Singapore-based venture capital firm, led the funding round with a 15% stake for US$2.7m. The funding also included contributions from five other investors, including NZ Green Investment Finance, which acquired a 3.8% share for US$700,000. Neocrete, founded in 2018, has developed an additive that can reduce the cement in concrete by 30-50% without loss in strength, increasing its durability.

Wavemaker Partners' managing partner Paul Santos said "Neocrete is designed to scale rapidly by using a cost-efficient production process that can leverage existing infrastructure."

Zarina Bazoeva, Neocrete co-founder and CEO, said that the funding will enable the company "to scale to meet initial global demand for Neocrete’s additive”. The company plans to complete setting up an Auckland manufacturing facility and scale up a research and development programme, "which is on track to produce cement-free, zero-carbon concrete by 2027,” according to Bazoeva.

US: Brimstone is negotiating a US$189m Federal award with the Department of Energy to finance the construction of a new decarbonised cement plant. This plant will produce up to 140,000t/yr of Ordinary Portland Cement and supplementary cementitious materials, reducing CO₂ emissions by 120,000t/yr.

Brimstone's process uses carbon-free calcium silicate rocks, reducing its CO₂ footprint. In July 2023, Brimstone's cement met ASTM C150 standards, confirming the effectiveness of its decarbonised process. The company is preparing to construct a pilot plant near Reno, Nevada.

South Africa: The South African cement industry faces plant closures and job losses due to an influx of ‘cheap’ cement imports, according to a recent study. Chronux Research found that cement imports to South Africa rose by nearly 20% in 2023, despite logistical challenges at ports. The firm's cement import monitor shows imported cement volumes increased by 18% in 2023 to 979,000t, with a notable 43% year-on-year growth in the second half of the year.

"Cement imports continue to be able to navigate the port and supply chain issues in South Africa with minimal impact," reads the report, highlighting the government's lack of protective measures for local cement producers. Vietnam, Mozambique, Namibia, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were the primary sources of these imports.

Chronux Research director Rowan Goeller expressed confusion over how imports are bypassing the country’s congested ports. The local industry has been lobbying for tariff protection against imported cement. The capacity of South Africa's cement production stands at 20Mt/yr, but only 12Mt/yr is currently produced.

A report by PPC Cement and the Gordon Institute of Business Science revealed in September 2023 that South Africa’s cement industry is operating at two-thirds of its capacity, citing displacement by imports and low demand as major factors. This underutilisation could lead to job losses and government revenue collections, according to the report.

Economic adviser for the Optimum group, Roelof Botha, raised concerns about the quality standards of imported products and their impact on local employment. He said "The extent to which the imported product displaces the locally manufactured products will ultimately also replace domestic employment," highlighting the government's slow response and the potential risks associated with poor-quality imports in construction.

Cameroon: Cimpor has begun operation of a new cement plant in the industrial and port area of Kribi, Cameroon. The plant has a production capacity of 1Mt/yr. Cimpor's entry makes it the sixth active cement producer in Cameroon, nine years after the end of a 48-year monopoly held by Cimencam, a subsidiary of Lafarge Holcim Maroc Afrique (LHMA).

Cameroon's first competitor was Dangote Cement Cameroon (1.5Mt/yr), followed by Morocco's Cimaf (1.5Mt/yr with the completion of the Douala plant extension), Mira Company (1.5Mt/yr), and Medcem Cameroon, a subsidiary of Turkey's Eren Holding (0.6Mt/yr).

With Cimpor's arrival, Cameroon's annual cement production capacity reaches 8.4Mt/yr, enough to satisfy the national demand, estimated at approximately 8Mt/yr. However, Cameroonian citizens still consider the cost of a 50kg cement bag high compared to countries with similar production levels.

India: UltraTech Cement has commissioned a new brownfield 1Mt capacity at its Roorkee-based facility in Uttarakhand, contributing to its total cement manufacturing capacity in India, which now stands at 138Mt. This addition is part of the 23Mt capacity expansion plan announced in June 2022.

In the third quarter of the 2024 financial year, UltraTech Cement reported a 67% increase in consolidated net profit to US$21.3m, with revenue from operations rising by 8% year-on-year to US$201m.

Kyrgyzstan: Kant Cement has entered the construction phase of a new dry clinker production line at its Kant cement plant. The facility has a capacity of 2500t/day and aims to produce 800,000t/yr of clinker using advanced technology and automation.

The plant will both substitute for imports and export excess cement. It is expected to generate 300 new jobs.

Sweden: Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have developed a method to simplify the construction of textile-reinforced concrete structures, a move that is expected to lead to more environmentally friendly infrastructure like bridges, tunnels, and buildings. The new technique addresses the high carbon footprint of cement.

This innovation, involving carbon fibre textiles as a replacement for steel reinforcement, enables lighter structures with reduced cement usage, thereby lowering the overall carbon impact. Karin Lundgren, Professor of Concrete Structures at Chalmers Department of Architecture said "A great deal of the concrete we use today has the function to act as a protective layer to prevent the steel reinforcement from corroding. If we can use textile reinforcement instead, we can reduce cement consumption and also use less concrete, thus reducing the climate impact."

The research is detailed in a paper titled 'Textile reinforced concrete members subjected to tension, bending, and in-plane loads: Experimental study and numerical analyses', which was published in the Construction and Building Materials journal. The study, a collaborative effort between Chalmers University and Gdansk University of Technology in Poland, is supported by the Swedish Research Council.

Switzerland: ABB and Captimise have enhanced their collaboration, focusing on advancing cost-effective carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) technologies in the cement industry. Under a new Memorandum of Understanding, the partnership will develop various studies, including screening, feasibility, and FEED, aiding cement producers to identify efficient carbon capture solutions across their operations. The joint effort is expected to bolster the cement industry's efforts to meet its climate and net-zero targets.

CEO of Captimise, Mattias Jones, said “We draw on a track-record of more than 25 live case studies with CO₂ emitters across Europe and the US and know we’ll be able to support operations of all sizes in cement through combined CCUS, automation and electrification technologies.”

Global Business Unit Manager at ABB Process Industries, Max Tschurtschenthaler, said “Reducing the CO₂ emissions from cement manufacturing is a major challenge and a top priority for this industry. We are on a mission to make it more cost-effective. By combining our world-class automation, electrification and digital technologies with the know-how of partners like Captimise, we can further support the cement industry in achieving their climate and net zero targets.”

Switzerland: The decision of the Swiss government in June 2023 against the implementation of a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) has been strongly criticised by the Swiss cement association, Cemsuisse. The association warns of a potential relocation of the Swiss cement industry without such a mechanism, referencing a report by Polynomics. This report concludes that a Swiss CBAM is necessary to level the playing field with EU and non-EU cement suppliers. The EU initiated a CBAM test phase in October 2023, aiming to mitigate production relocation risks to countries with less stringent environmental regulations.

The federal government concluded that a CBAM in Switzerland would benefit few emission-intensive industries at the expense of the wider economy, while also facing regulatory and trade policy risks. It plans to reassess the need for a CBAM in mid-2026, in line with the EU's interim CBAM report.

Cemsuisse, referencing the Polynomics report, states that waiting to potentially introduce a CBAM in Switzerland is not an option. Investments in carbon capture and storage (CCS) are deemed essential for Switzerland's net-zero climate goal and without a CBAM, there is a risk of these investments being unviable due to uncertainty over cost recovery.

The report also points to the risk of increased clinker imports from third countries into the EU, which would be processed and then exported to Switzerland without CBAM levies. As an example, Cemsuisse mentions a planned milling station in Ottmarsheim, Alsace. It says that without a CBAM, the production site in Switzerland faces serious threats.

Cemsuisse said “Without CBAM, this certainty is lacking. And without CCUS, long-term production in Switzerland won't be viable. The population has accepted the climate protection law last summer, where the net-zero goal is legally anchored."

Syria: The General Company for Cement and Building Materials has successfully restored Plant No. 3 in Hama province to operation, following comprehensive maintenance of its machinery and equipment. The maintenance, which began last January, was completed by the company’s engineering and technical teams.

General Manager Engineer Issam Al-Abdullah noted that the company is focused on developing its production processes to meet local cement demands. Upcoming maintenance work on Plant No. 2 is planned to enhance its production capacity to around 1000t/day.