Denmark: Christopher Ashworth has resigned as the president of FLSmidth Cement. A new president will be announced for the company after it has completed its divestment to Pacific Avenue from FLSmith. In the interim period Cori Petersen, the Executive Vice President of FLSmidth, will work as the acting president of FLSmidth Cement. Ashworth joined FLSmith Cement as its president in 2023. Previously he worked as the vice president and managing director of Eurotherm, a subsidiary of Schneider-Electric.

China: Anhui Conch’s revenues fell by 9% year-on-year to US$5.77bn in the first half of 2025 from US$6.37bn in the same period in 2025. Its net profit grew by 32% to US$587m from US$445m. Its net sales of cement and clinker remained stable at 127Mt. The group said that despite facing “insufficient demand, intensified competition and volatile market conditions” it managed to improve its efficiency, reduce operation costs and expand its market. Notable cement sector achievements during the reporting period included signing a deal to buy selected assets from West China Cement in China, acquiring Conch West Papua Cement in Indonesia and completing a 5000t/day production line at Phnom Penh in Cambodia.

Kenya: A group of four flour mill owners and associates has acquired Savannah Cement for US$29.4m, according to local press. The producer had been under administration for two years after it owed lenders KSB and Absa Bank debts of US$108m. The Competition Authority of Kenya approved the deal on 25 August 2025 without conditions, saying it posed no competition or public interest concerns.

Saudi Arabia: The National Center for Waste Management (MWAN) completed a five-month trial with Riyadh Cement on the use of iron slag in ordinary Portland cement, according to the Saudi Press Agency. The study used 1274t of slag and showed that adding 1 - 2% improved the cement’s properties. MWAN said that the results confirm the feasibility of using industrial byproducts to cut waste and reduce CO₂ emissions.

Thailand: Domestic cement sales are expected to decline by 5.5% year-on-year to 34.7Mt in 2025 due to a contraction in private construction, particularly new housing projects, according to local press. In the first quarter of 2025, sales rose by 9.6% to 8.8Mt. Government projects will continue to expand but at a slower pace than in 2024, which is reportedly insufficient to offset weaker private demand. Political uncertainty may delay the 2026 budget and new project bidding, which could impact demand for government construction projects from late 2025 into 2026.

China/US: A team led by Fengyin Du, then at Southeast University in Nanjing, developed a new cement formulation that reflects sunlight and emits heat more effectively than ordinary Portland cement, according to the New Scientist. The cement incorporates reflective ettringite crystals on its surface, which Du says “works like a mirror and a radiator, so it can reflect sunlight away and send heat out into the sky, so a building can stay cooler without any air conditioning or electricity.”

To make it, the researchers produce tiny pellets from limestone and gypsum, which are ground and mixed with water before being poured into a silicone mould covered in small holes. Ettringite crystals grow in slight depressions on the surface created by air bubbles, while an aluminium-rich gel allows infrared light to pass through, lowering heat retention.

Du said that tests at Purdue University, Indiana showed the cement’s surface was 5.4°C cooler than the air and 26°C cooler than conventional cement under the same conditions. The process is reportedly scalable and costs US$5/t less than ordinary Portland cement, as it can be produced at lower temperatures.

Norway: TotalEnergies, Equinor and Shell have announced that the first CO₂ volumes were transported by ship from Heidelberg Materials’ Brevik cement plant to Northern Lights’ Øygarden facilities. They were then injected 2600m under the seabed, 100km off the coast of western Norway. Phase one of the project has a storage capacity of 1.5Mt/yr. A second phase, approved in March 2025, will expand capacity to more than 5Mt/yr from 2028.

TotalEnergies’ senior vice president of carbon neutrality Arnaud Le Foll said “With the start of operations of Northern Lights, we are entering a new phase for the CCS industry in Europe. This industry now moves to reality, offering hard-to-abate sectors a credible and tangible way to reduce CO₂ emissions.”

Algeria: Biskria Ciment has exported 28,000t of white cement to the US from the port of Annaba aboard the M/V Anhui, according to the Annaba Port Company via L’Expression newspaper. The exports continue despite a 30% US customs duty on Algerian imports.

The company said it is maintaining shipments by leveraging the quality and price competitiveness of its cement.

India: Star Cement subsidiary Star Cement North East has been named preferred bidder for the Parewar (SN-IV) limestone block in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. The 960-hectare block holds an estimated 271Mt of limestone. The company said the mining lease will strengthen its long-term raw material security once clearances and agreements are completed.

Star Cement operates 7.7Mt/yr of cement grinding capacity and 6.1Mt/yr of clinker capacity.

El Salvador: Data from the Central Reserve Bank (BCR) showed apparent cement consumption rose by 30% year-on-year in May 2025 to 4.8m 42.5kg bags, from 3.7m bags in May 2024, according to local press. The figure was the country’s highest monthly consumption in five years. Consumption from January to May 2025 reached 21.4m bags, up by 17% year-on-year from 18.4m bags in the same period of 2024.

From January to June 2025, imports of hydraulic cement totalled 0.3Mt, worth US$26m, up by 41% year-on-year from 0.21Mt in the same period of 2024. Guatemala was the leading supplier at US$12.7m, followed by Vietnam (US$6.6m), Japan (US$2.8m), Honduras (US$1.4m) and China (US$1.3m).