Global Cement Newsletter

Issue: GCW745 / 04 February 2026

Headlines


2026 has begun as the year of the ‘underdeveloped’ cement market, with new cement plant projects underway from Bangladesh to Zimbabwe. Only one industry announced two new cement plant projects: Afghanistan – which only had three plants to begin with!

The plants, when operational, will be the 1.1Mt/yr Yatīm Taq plant in Jowzjan Province and 1Mt/yr Aliabad plant in Kunduz Province. Both provinces lie in Afghanistan’s northern borders, opposite Turkmenistan and Tajikistan respectively, with the new plants situated in their mountainous interiors, 320km apart from one another.

The Aliabad and Yatīm Taq plants diverge in the matter of funding: Aliabad is a joint Afghan-Tajik-Chinese venture, including two separate Chinese parties. Meanwhile, Yatīm Taq is a foreign enterprise. Türkiye’s local consul general announced the investment on 14 January 2026. We can fill in the details with the help of an earlier announcement from October 2024: Türkiye-based 77 Inşaat concluded a deal to build a US$163m cement plant at the same location. This would appear to be a match and supplies us a best estimate of a price tag for the Yatīm Taq plant – though plans do change.

Table 1 (below) lists all on-going cement plant builds in Afghanistan as reported in the Global Cement News to date, with the latest announced projects at the top.

 

Location

Investor(s) HQ

Capacity

Investment

Announced

1

Yatīm Taq, Jowzjan

Türkiye

1.1Mt/yr

US$163m

Jan 2026;
Oct 2024

2

Aliabad, Kunduz Province

Local/China/ Tajikstan

1.0Mt/yr

Unknown

Jan 2026

3

Ghori, Baghlan

Local

1.8Mt/yr

US$86m

Oct 2025

4

Jabal Saraj, Parwan

Local/Qatar

1.1Mt/yr

US$220m

Dec 2024

5

Altamūr, Logar

Chinese

0.9Mt/yr

US$145m

Dec 2024

6

Balkh Province

Local/Chinese

1.0Mt/yr

US$200m

Nov 2024

7

Injil, Herat

UAE

1.1Mt/yr

US$142m

Oct 2023

8

Shurandam, Kandahar

Local

1.0Mt/yr

US$100m

Mar 2023

TOTAL

9.0Mt/yr

US$1.06bn+

N/A

Table 1: Current cement plant projects in Afghanistan.

Few plants have publicly stated commissioning dates: Ghori (#3) was on schedule for April 2027, per plant head Shafiullah Wahidi, speaking on 30 October 2025; Shurandam (#8) had been due in October 2025. Elsewhere, estimates include ‘in the near future’ (Yatīm Taq cement plant, in October 2024). Considering how unlike anything previously achieved in the Afghan cement sector these undertakings are, a little vagueness is understandable.

Besides the Jabal Saraj plant in Parwan Province (commissioned: 1944) and Ghori I plant in Baghlan Province (1962), Afghanistan’s youngest plant is the Soviet-era Ghori II. It began construction using a US$42m Czechoslovakian loan in 1986, and reportedly never reached its intended capacity before further works stalled indefinitely in 1989.1 Three decades of war brought Soviet and subsequent US-led coalition withdrawals and precipitated a complete takeover by the Taliban in 2021. The latest tranche of new-builds belong to a different generation both technologically and in the life of Afghanistan.

In addition to the age difference, and connected to it, is the matter of size. Ghori II, Ghori I and Jabal Saraj, in descending capacity order, command 400,000t/yr, 200,000t/yr and 30,000t/yr. The above projects in Table 1, if fully realised, will raise the national installed capacity by a multiple of 14.

The new, billion-dollar Afghan cement industry is partly being grafted onto the old: when commissioned in 2027, the Ghori project (#3 in Table 1) will be the 1.8Mt/yr Ghori III plant, part of an expanded 2.4Mt/yr complex. In October 2025, the Ghori I and Ghori II plants more than doubled combined production to 700t/day, corresponding to a capacity utilisation of 43% across the existing complex.

Meanwhile, the Jabal Saraj project (#4) brings together local investors Alfala ul Alami and Awfi Bahram and Qatar-based Al-Maham International Group for a 1.1Mt/yr expansion of the country’s smallest plant, up to 1.13Mt/yr. After this, the joint venture plans to further triple capacity, up by another 2.2Mt/yr, to 3.33Mt/yr, turning the plant into Afghanistan’s largest. The last update on the project emerged back in January 2025: the first phase of exploration work was underway.

To call Afghanistan an underdeveloped cement market is not to dismiss its part in the global cement industry. The country exports coking coal, including to neighbouring Pakistan. Following the closure of the Afghan-Pakistan border amid deteriorating relations in October 2025, northern Pakistani cement producers began to rely on imports from Indonesia or Africa for their coal supply. The loss of the Pakistan coal market ‘heavily’ impacted Afghan economic growth.2

Afghanistan’s population was 42.6m in 2024, up by 3% year-on-year and by 30% decade-on-decade.3 The growing market is a target for Iranian, Tajik and Uzbek producers – the last of which shipped 273,000t of cement there in the first nine months of 2025. Afghanistan was formerly the destination for 7% of Pakistan’s cement exports, contributing 10% of all sales for Cherat Cement and 6% for Fauji Cement in 2025.

All that was needed for the industrial transformation of domestic cement production was investment. In 2026, on the 40th anniversary of the Ghori II plant’s Prague-backed groundbreaking, funding no longer flows from Europe – nor under the auspices of a foreign invasion. Instead, it lies along a new, financial axis between China and West Asia. Following the announcement of the Aliabad project on Monday 2 February 2026, operators from five foreign countries will compete in the Afghan cement sector as its new plants come online, beginning any time now.

There are difficulties: Afghanistan is landlocked. Its regime (which, uniquely in the world, has banned education for girls beyond the age of 12) gives rise to issues for producers’ global market access. A complete reliance on coal will also hamper efforts to realise international standards. There are also creative solutions, however. One country recognises the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate government, and also happens to be looking for a market for its oil, after losing India on 2 February 2025.4 That country is Russia.

Afghanistan’s mid-2020s cement plant-building drive has spawned previously unheard-of partnerships across cultural chasms, all under conditions of informal international relations. It presents a vision of this erstwhile peripheral nation of South, West and Central Asia as a connector of them all in an emergent super-region. Naïve expectations have gone to die in Afghanistan in the past; on the other hand, this collaboration with nations as diverse as China and Türkiye may have a liberalising effect on the political culture of Afghanistan and transform its cement sector, if not in this generation, then in time.

 

References

1 Afghan Biographies, ‘Ghori Cement Factory,’ October 2023, https://afghan-bios.info/index.php?option=com_afghanbios&id=2301&task=view&total=3600&start=1089&Itemid=2#

2 TRT World, ‘Why is Taliban relying on cement production to achieve Afghan self-reliance,’ 26 March 2024, https://www.trtworld.com/article/17519719

3 World Bank Data, ‘Population, total - Afghanistan,’ August 2025, ‘https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?end=2024&locations=AF&start=1960

4 Reuters, ‘US to cut tariffs on India to 18%, India agrees to end Russian oil purchases,’ 2 February 2026, www.reuters.com/world/india/trump-says-agreed-trade-deal-with-india-2026-02-02/


Austria: Lukas Himler-Bürger, has been appointed as Head of Mergers & Acquisitions and Special Projects for the Wietersdorfer Group, the parent company of Alpacem. In his new position, the 33-year old will focus on the further development of the group’s corporate strategy, the evaluation and implementation of growth initiatives and on international strategic projects in the group's five business units. The goal is to sustainably secure the long-term competitiveness of the Wietersdorfer Group.

"Our international focus and the increasing dynamism of our markets require a clearly structured and consistently implemented group strategy," said Michael Junghans, CEO of the Wietersdorfer Group. "Lukas Himler-Bürger brings his international consulting experience and a sound understanding of industrial value creation to this role."

Himler-Bürger has experience in international strategy consulting and in the industrial sector. Prior to joining the Wietersdorfer Group, he worked at McKinsey & Company, where he advised companies on strategic issues, transformation and growth programmes.


Canada: Carbon Upcycling Technologies, a producer of ‘next generation’ supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) has appointed Markus Kritzler as its new CEO. Kritzler will lead the the company’s expansion across North America and Europe, bringing more than 20 years of strategic leadership and executive experience in the building materials and financial sectors to his new role.

Kritzler joined Carbon Upcycling as Chief Revenue Officer in early 2025, leading the development of the company’s project pipeline and guiding the company as it constructs its flagship commercial project. He previously led group-wide strategy at Holcim, where he directed initiatives across North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He played a pivotal role in the multibillion-Dollar merger of Holcim and Lafarge. After Holcim, he served as Managing Director at 414 Capital, leading over 70 merger and acquisition transactions across early-stage investments and large corporate transactions.

Carbon Upcycling’s previous CEO (and Co-founder) Apoorv Sinha has become President of the company, focusing on investor engagement, external relations, technology development and the advancement of the company’s long-term strategy and direction. “This is a natural evolution for Carbon Upcycling as we move from proving the technology to delivering projects globally,” said Sinha. “I’m excited to welcome Markus as our new CEO. His executive industry experience and strategic leadership positions us well to execute on our ambitions and onshore critical cement supply chains.”


Libya: Fons Technology International has secured a contract with a cement producer in Libya for the Libyan Cement plant. Fons Technology International will supply a Fons Delta clinker cooler with a capacity of 1500t/day and a rotary kiln outlet seal with an internal diameter of 4400mm. The project reportedly aims to increase operational performance, energy efficiency and clinker quality.


Russia: JSC Angarskcement, a subsidiary of Sibcem based in the Irkutsk region, produced 719,000t of cement in 2025, down by 7% year-on-year, according to Interfax news. Sales reportedly fell by 7% to 716,000t. Managing director of Angarskcement Vladimir Afanasin said that Angarsk Cement operated in a ‘declining market’ in 2025. It supplied cement to customers in the Irkutsk region, Buryatia and Trans-Baikal Territory, including projects on the Baikal-Amur Mainline, the Trans-Siberian Railway, the Power of Siberia gas pipeline and Bratsk International Airport. The plant produced eight cement types in 2025 and began production of Portland cement in April 2025. Angarskcement has a production capacity of 1.3Mt/yr across four lines.


Ireland: Mannok Cement has submitted plans for a ground-mounted solar PV power plant on about 100 acres west of its Ballyconnell headquarters. The producer will install steel-mounted PV panels, underground cable, a temporary construction compound and three transformer stations, with gravel access tracks, widened field entrances, CCTV, entrance gates and perimeter fencing, and will reportedly operate the facility under a 40-year licence subject to approval by Cavan County Council. Consultants estimated that the project could reduce Mannok’s CO₂ emissions by more than 3700t in the first year of operation.


Pakistan: Cement despatches rose by 13% year-on-year to 4.54Mt in January 2026 from 4.03Mt, according to data from the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association. Domestic despatches reached 3.60Mt, up by 4% from 3.45Mt, while exports rose by 61% to 0.937Mt from 0.582Mt. In the first seven months of the 2026 financial year, total cement despatches reached 30.6Mt, up by 11% from 27.7Mt during the previous corresponding financial year. Domestic despatches rose by 12% to 25.0Mt, while exports increased by 3% to 5.57Mt.


Belgium: Medcem Cement Group and Euroports have inaugurated a long-term partnership at the TA168 Fertilizers & Minerals Terminal in the Port of Antwerp-Bruges. Euroports and Medcem Cement Group launched the collaboration with the discharge of the first Medcem vessel in December 2025, which delivered 20,000t of CEM I 52.5 N cement. Medcem exports around 90% of its production to more than 20 countries.

The terminal has 2540m of quay length, 400,000t of storage capacity and ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications, with multimodal distribution via road and inland waterways.


Mozambique: The Minister of Economy Basílio Muhate has laid the foundation stone for the construction of a new US$280m cement plant in Chibabava, Sofala Province. Muhate described the 1Mt/yr project as ‘a structural investment under the National Program to Industrialise Mozambique.’ The Chinese-funded plant will also have a 28MW captive power plant, to ‘position itself among the most important industrial ventures in the construction materials sector in the country,’ according to Muhate.

A government note added that the government hopes that the plant will significantly reduce cement imports, improve the country’s trade balance, increase domestic supply and reduce construction costs, with ‘positive impacts’ on housing, infrastructure and economic development. Without giving figures, the Ministry of Economy says that the venture will create direct and indirect jobs, with a special focus on local youth, associated with technical training, knowledge transfer, and the ‘enhancement of Mozambican human capital.’

The government added that the plant has the potential to export to the markets of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), while strengthening economic cooperation between Mozambique and China.
Cheng Biao, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sino Harbor Construction Group, one of the investors, says that after completion, scheduled for 2027, the project will ‘give new impetus to infrastructure construction and industrial development in Mozambique,’ promoting local economic prosperity and ‘improving the standard of living of its population in many ways.’


Pakistan: Fauji Cement Company and utilities provider Kot Addu Power Company have entered into an agreement to jointly acquire 84% of Attock Cement Pakistan from Pharaon Investment Group (Holding). Mettis Global News has reported that the deal concludes a multi-bidder auction that commenced in 2025.


US: Eagle Materials recorded sales of US$1.83bn in the first nine months of the 2026 financial year (FY2026), up by 2% year-on-year. A 5% year-on-year rise in costs, to US$1.28bn, offset sales growth to precipitate an 8% decline in net earnings, to US$364m. Cement sales rose by 7% to US$938m. The producer sold 6.05Mt of cement, up by 7%. The group reported ‘good progress’ on an on-going upgrade to its Laramie cement plant Wyoming.

Eagle Materials issued US$750m of 10-year senior notes with an interest rate of 5% during the quarter, which extended its total debt maturity schedule and increased committed liquidity. A portion of the proceeds repaid its bank credit facility. It ended 2025 with debt of US$1.8bn, net debt of US$1.4bn and a net leverage ratio of 1.8 times.

President and CEO Michael Haack said "Despite a mixed construction environment, Eagle's portfolio of businesses continued to perform well during the third quarter of FY2026. While the residential construction market was challenged, federal, state, and local spending on public infrastructure projects and private non-residential construction remained elevated, supporting strong demand for our heavy construction products. Our low-cost operations continue to generate strong cashflow that we are investing to advance our operational efficiency and our low-cost position."


France: Greece-based Titan has completed the acquisition of Vracs de L'Estuaire (VDE). VDE operates a 600,000t/yr grinding plant at the port of Le Havre in Normandy. Titan says that it plans to serve VDE customers with new reduced-CO2 cement products ‘based on our broad palette of cements and supplementary cementitious materials, such as slag, pozzolan from our Greek operations and fly ash reclaimed with our proprietary technology.’

Titan first entered operation in France with the launch of its Marseille cement terminal in 1994.


India: Adani subsidiary Ambuja Cements recorded earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of US$14.8m in the third quarter of the 2026 financial year (FY2026), down by 21% year-on-year. Net profit dropped by 86%, to US$4.01m. Ambuja Cements noted the effects of new labour codes, a new environmental tax in Chhattisgarh and an extra sales tax deposit during the quarter, as against an excise duty exemption and favourable income tax effects in the corresponding quarter of FY2025. All of this combined to offset what would otherwise have been a more-than-tripling of Ambuja Cements’ profit, according to the producer. Ambuja Cements sold 18.9Mt of cement in the third quarter of FY2025, up by 17% year-on-year.

CEO Vinod Bahety said "We achieved highest-ever quarterly volumes, higher premium cement sales – resulting in better realisation than industry peers – and better base capacity volumes growth."


Vietnam: Cement producers Fico YTL, Insee Vietnam, SCG Vietnam, Vicem Ha Long and Vicem Ha Tien separately reported high operating expenses in January 2026. They attributed this to rises in the costs of energy and raw materials. The Hanoi Times has reported that the producers raised cement prices in response.

Vietnam Building Materials Association secretary general Thai Duy Sam said "Project construction nationwide accelerated from October 2025 to boost capital disbursement. The trend lifted material consumption, pushed prices slightly higher and signalled stronger growth momentum for 2026."


Belgium: Holcim has paused the €250m ‘green transition’ decarbonisation project at its Obourg cement plant, which involved the installation of CO₂ capture, concentration and purification technology to reduce the plant’s emissions. A final investment decision was originally planned for February 2026, but Vincent Michel, programme director of the ‘Go4Zero’ project at the plant, stated that the risks are currently ‘too high’ for the company to proceed, calling a decision now ‘pure suicide’, according to The Brussels Times. This means that Holcim will now push back its target for the site to become emissions-free from 2029 to late 2030 or early 2031. The decision reportedly followed uncertainty around Belgium’s CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure. The Obourg plant produces about 25% of Belgium’s cement output and emits around 1Mt/yr of CO₂.


Afghanistan: A coalition of investors has expressed interest in establishing a cement plant in Kunduz, following a meeting with Mawlavi Habib-ur-Rehman Saheb, deputy governor of Kunduz, according to the Bakhtar News Agency. The investors, including two from China, one from Tajikistan and one from Afghanistan, will secure a 10km2 area in Aliabad district to build a cement plant with planned production of 2500 - 3000t/day of cement. It is expected to create jobs for ‘thousands’ of local residents.


Australia: Boral has entered an agreement with PNJB Group to support its cement transport operations in Western Australia, expanding an existing partnership covering Victoria and South Australia. Boral said that the agreement will support efficient transport to meet customer needs across Perth and regional Western Australia. PNJB Group has invested in five new cement tankers dedicated to Boral’s Western Australia network and will progressively update tankers with Boral branding.

Boral’s general manager of concrete and quarries in Western Australia, Andre Gobett, said “Boral is proud to be partnering with PNJB to expand its capabilities in Western Australia. Our dedicated cement tanker fleet is a first step and will be travelling to our Perth and Western Australia sites, so keep an eye out for them. A huge thank you to everyone involved for turning this into a great outcome for Boral. Your teamwork and determination made this possible.”


Peru: National cement shipments reached 1.15Mt in December 2025, up by 18% year-on-year and by 7% over the rolling 12-month period, according to the Peruvian cement association ASOCEM. Cement production reached 1.04Mt, up by 13% year-on-year, while clinker production totalled 674,000t, up by 3%. Cement exports reached 11,800t, down by 9%, while clinker exports reached 36,700t, down by 48%. Cement imports were 5810t, up by 69%, with imports entering solely through the Tacna land terminal. Clinker imports reached 105,000t, down by 50%.


North Macedonia: Citizens and environmental activists gathered in the capital city of Skopje on 31 January 2026 to demand stronger measures against air pollution, particularly caused by operations at the Usje cement plant, according to local press. The protest, organised by the civic initiative Stop for Usje, began outside the government building and called on authorities to prioritise public health and ensure the plant operates in full compliance with environmental standards. Aleksandar Todeski, one of the activists, said institutions should act in the interest of citizens and announced that demonstrations would continue. In December 2025, the Skopje Metropolitan City Council authorised Mayor Orce Gjorgjievski to apply to the government regarding the relocation of the plant away from residential areas.


Argentina: Data from local cement association AFCP showed total cement despatches of 10.1Mt in 2025, up by 6% year-on-year, with domestic despatches at 10.0Mt, up by 6%, and exports at 74,200t. The country produced 759,000t of cement in December 2025, down by 2% year-on-year and down by 10% month-on-month. Domestic despatches for the month were 756,000t, down by 1% year-on-year and down by 9% from November 2025, while exports were 3330t.


North Korea: A project to expand capacity at the Kyongam Cement Factory in North Hwanghae Province has been completed, according to Korean News. It reported that a ‘large-capacity’ cement production line with modern and efficient equipment had been established. The expansion will increase production of cement to support construction projects across the province, using locally available raw materials and resources.

Pak Chang Ho, chief secretary of the North Hwanghae Provincial Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, attended the inauguration ceremony on 29 January 2026 with provincial officials, local working people in Pongsan County and plant employees. After the ceremony, participants toured the plant.


Tunisia: Les Ciments de Bizerte recorded continued shutdown of clinker production in 2025 due to lack of petcoke and insufficient financial resources to secure imports, according to African Manager news. The producer refocused operations on grinding imported or locally acquired clinker and on lime production to maintain its limited market presence and cash flow. Clinker production remained at zero for the full 2025 financial year. Cement production fell to 119,000t from 129,000t in 2024, down by 8% year-on-year, although fourth-quarter output rose to 36,800t, up by 28% year-on-year, following a temporary increase in grinding activity supported by targeted clinker supplies. Lime production reached 833t in the fourth quarter, up by 69% year-on-year from 494t, driven by sustained domestic demand. Sales rose to US$14.2m in 2025, up by 31% year-on-year. Total debt stood at US$43m at the end of 2025.


Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos has expanded its range of products backed by the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) certification to two cements produced in plants in the states of Paraná and Ceará, increasing the number of its products with EPD certification in Brazil to 17. In 2026, two new cement classes will receive certification from EPD Brasil: CP II-E 40 produced at the Pecém plant in Ceará and CP II-F 40 produced at the Rio Branco do Sul plant in Paraná. The producer also maintained EPD certifications for CP II-E 40, CP V ARI and CP III 40 RS cements produced at its Santa Helena plant in Votorantim, São Paulo.

EPDs provide third-party verified information on environmental impacts across the full product lifecycle, including energy, fuel and water consumption, logistics, waste management and transport.


India: UltraTech Cement has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) to explore and pilot a circularity initiative for used lubricating oils in the Indian cement industry. Under the agreement, the producer will collaborate with HPCL to reprocess used lubricating oils from UltraTech’s cement plants into re-refined base oil at HPCL’s Green Research and Development Centre in Bangalore, with HPCL to explore the development of finished lubricants that meet UltraTech’s performance specifications. The MoU aligns with the Central Pollution Control Board’s extended producer responsibility guidelines for used oil and establishes a framework for collection, handling, recycling and reuse.

UltraTech recorded a ~6% thermal substitution rate in the 2025 financial year, using 2.1Mt of alternative fuels in its kilns. It also used 44Mt of recycled and alternative raw materials in cement production during the same period.


Zimbabwe: Shuntai Investments Pvt Ltd expects to commission its US$120m cement plant in Chegutu within the next six months, with construction reportedly 55% complete and most equipment already delivered, according to NewsDay Zimbabwe. Speaking during a site tour, Shuntai Investments’ manager Zhao Zhiqiang said that the project had moved into an ‘advanced installation phase.’ “So far we have already invested over US$80m, and by the time we finish, total investment will be around US$120m,” he said.

The plant will have a production capacity of 1500t/day of cement (~495,000t/yr), rising to 1800t/day (~594,000t/yr) under optimal conditions. The company expects to begin supplying cement by mid-June 2026 following a short commissioning and testing period. Once operational, the facility is expected to create more than 500 jobs, with approximately 300 local workers currently employed for the construction of the plant. The company said it would prioritise the domestic market to reduce reliance on imports and stabilise local supply and prices, with exports considered only if surplus capacity becomes available.

Zhiqiang said that the company is phasing out diesel-powered equipment in favour of more environmentally-friendly alternatives, including ‘supercharged’ trucks and front loaders. He also confirmed that a court dispute involving Bryden Country School Trust had been resolved. The company is now reportedly ‘on good terms’ and has a ‘good relationship’ with the school. In August 2025 it was reported that the company was in a legal battle with the school over its close proximity to the planned cement plant, located roughly 500m from the school.


Sweden: Cemvision has completed a 1000m² industrial slab floor using its ‘near-zero’ cement product Re-ment Massive. The floor was cast in late 2025 together with flooring specialist Linotol, real estate company Stendörren and contractor Norra Stockholm Bygg. Cemvision said the concrete performed in line with conventional alternatives and was placed using standard equipment, workflows and casting methods.

“This project is a significant milestone for Cemvision and adds another strong proof point to our growing book of successful projects,” said Oscar Hållén, CEO of Cemvision. "We are proud to be working alongside such forward-leaning companies, and to show that the future of cement is already here, ready for market-scale deployment."

Cemvision said that the project shows how its cement can support low-carbon construction in fast-growing sectors such as logistics hubs, warehouses and data centres. The casting follows recent milestones for the company, such as the signing of a commercial agreement with Vattenfall to supply ‘near-zero-carbon’ cement.


India: JK Cement has commissioned a 3Mt/yr cement grinding unit at its facility in Buxar, Bihar. The new unit forms part of JK Cement’s 6Mt/yr expansion plan approved in January 2024, which includes brownfield clinker capacity additions of 3.3Mt/yr and cement grinding capacity of 3Mt/yr across Panna, Hamirpur and Prayagraj, alongside a greenfield 3Mt/yr cement grinding facility in Bihar.

JK Cement’s total grey cement production capacity now reportedly stands at 31.26Mt/yr, including the capacity of its subsidiary.


South Africa: Saint-Gobain Africa has iaugurated a new fibre cement manufacturing plant in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, representing an investment of more than US$31.7m in local production capacity. CEO Aymeric d’Ydewalle said, during the facility’s opening on 27 January 2026, that the facility will strengthen local manufacturing, improve product availability and reliability for customers, and support the growth of the local construction sector.


Egypt: Al-Mal Titan Egypt Cement aims to reach production of 0.4Mt/yr of alternative fuel by the end of 2027, backed by €7-8m in investment financed by its global parent company.

Essam Abdelnabi, managing director of Titan Egypt subsidiary Gaia Alternative Energy, said alternative fuels currently account for about 40% of total energy demand. He added that the company’s Beni Suef plant signed an agreement to generate 10,000MW of solar powered electricity, covering around 13% of its energy needs.

Abdelnabi said that Titan plans to supply alternative fuels to third parties in the future and is participating in a presidential initiative to recycle construction waste in cooperation with Beni Suef University. He added that the company has made ‘significant’ progress in reducing its CO₂ emissions through improved energy efficiency and increasing reliance on alternative fuels. Amr Reda, CEO of Titan Egypt, said that the company plans to invest US$64m by the end of 2029 through a mix of internal and bank financing.