Global Cement Newsletter

Issue: GCW776 / 09 September 2026

Headlines


Holcim held a ceremony launching a new calcined clay production line in the Czech Republic this week. Around the same time LeadIT (the Leadership Group for Industry Transition) published a report on calcined clay kiln projects around the world using its second quarter 2026 data from its Green Cement Technology Tracker. It must be time for an update on calcined clay!

Various dignitaries attended the launch event on 3 September 2026, including Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. The new production line has a capacity of 0.58Mt/yr. This will supply products in the group’s ECOPlanet low-carbon cement range. Holcim says that the €40m project is the largest investment in the history of Holcim Czech Republic, with around €13.5m granted by the Modernization Fund of the Ministry of the Environment. Hence the politicians turned up for the photo opportunity.

LeadIT’s handily timed report revealed that six calcined clay projects were planned to be commissioned in 2026, including the one in the Czech Republic. The others are at PPC’s West Riebeek plant in South Africa, a new Ciments de Côte d’Ivoire (CIMCI) plant in Ivory Coast, CIMAF’s Ouagadougou plant in Burkina Faso, CIMAF’s Bobo-Dioulasso plant in Burkina Faso and Cimpor’s Souselas plant in Portugal. Commissioning is expected for most of these by the end of 2026. However, progress on the two CIMAF projects is more uncertain. In addition to these, LeadIT has also identified five calcined clay projects that have been delayed and another five that have no announced commissioning date. Its research has 14 projects currently in the pipeline with an investment of US$405m and a calcined clay production capacity of 3.3Mt/yr. Despite the large number of new projects on the way, LeadIT says it is difficult to forecast the pipeline of new projects due to a drop in new announcements in 2025 and 2026.

Graph 1: Commercial scale calcined clay projects under development by planned commissioning year and project status. Source: LeadIT report Clinker-free cement: calcined clay paves a path to cement decarbonization, September 2026.

Graph 1: Commercial scale calcined clay projects under development by planned commissioning year and project status. Source: LeadIT report Clinker-free cement: calcined clay paves a path to cement decarbonization, September 2026.

As mentioned last time Global Cement Weekly covered calcined clay, equipment suppliers have taken note of the nascent market. For example, Aumund Fördertechnik launched its electrified Linear Calcination Conveyor in late 2025. Denmark-based CemGreen is marketing its CemTower calcination technology. Both of these developments have been covered in Global Cement Magazine in more detail. Raw materials suppliers are also circling this space. Brick and building materials manufacturer Forterra, for example, noted in its half-year report in July 2026 that it was looking to ‘utilise’ some of its surplus clay reserves for “...calcination on a much larger scale.” In mid-2025 LKAB Minerals said it was working with Forterra on using brick waste from the latter’s Kings Dyke plant. LKAB Minerals then built a calcined clay production line at Flixborough, UK, which was scheduled to start production in August 2025. Another example of this could be found in July 2026 when Green360 Technologies (G360) signed a commercial supply agreement with Holcim Australia to provide its calcined clay product. This deal is also noteworthy as Calix said earlier in the year that it was toll-processing up to 30,000t/yr for G360. Readers may be more familiar with Calix for its supply of pre-calciner technology for the Low Emissions Intensity Lime And Cement (LEILAC) projects.

Clay is also being looked at in other forms for use in cement production. One such approach is ThyssenKrupp Polysius’s meca-clay technology, which activates clay without calcination. In late 2025 Titan Group signed a deal with ThyssenKrupp Polysius to develop the technology. This follows work between ThyssenKrupp Polysius and Schwenk Zement that was presented at the Global FutureCem Conference 2023 in Brussels. Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies launched its technology H-CLAY for the cold-processing of clay in June 2026.

We can see that interest in calcined clay as a secondary cementitious material (SCM) in cement production continues. The announcements of new calcined clay projects may have slowed in 2025 and 2026 but a number of previously planned projects are reaching commissioning. At the same time, some companies are focusing new equipment to support this and others on supplying calcined clay as a raw material to cement producers. Then there are the projects looking at using clay without calcination. Clay usage as an SCM may not have the big-ticket prestige of expensive carbon capture projects but it is already here at scale, at lower cost, at multiple locations and delivering CO2 reductions.


Türkiye: Çimsa Çimento has appointed Baran Çelik as its General Manager.

Çelik worked for OYAK Group in various roles from 2017 to 2025. During this period he was the chief financial officer (CFO) of OYAK Cement, Concrete and Paper Group, CFO of OYAK Group and a member of the executive committee of OYAK Group. From mid-2025 he was a member of the board of directors of OYAK Turkoman Investment. He previously held financial roles with Çimsa Çimento from 2011 to 2017, eventually becoming its CFO. He started his career at Ernst & Young and also worked for PepsiCo Southeast Europe. Çelik holds an undergraduate degree in international trade from Boğaziçi University.


UK: Holcim has appointed Adham El Sharkawy as the CEO of its UK business. He succeeds Danny King in the role, who has been working as Interim CEO. King will continue working for Holcim UK as Managing Director for Aggregates, Asphalt and Contracting.

El Sharkawy has worked for Holcim and related companies since the late 2000s. In 2025 he became the CEO of Holcim’s business in Algeria. This followed similar country CEO roles in Iraq in 2020 and UAE in 2017. Prior to this he was the General Manager of LafargeHolcim Readymix UAE and the Commercial Director UAE & Export Markets. Earlier in his career he worked for British American Tabacco and PepsiCo. El Sharkawy holds an undergraduate degree in economics from the American University in Cairo.


Pakistan: Thatta Cement has appointed Sidra Zakir as Chief Financial Officer. She succeeds Muhammad Owais in the role.


Egypt: Geocycle Egypt has appointed Mohamed Gouda as its General Manager.

Gouda has worked for Holcim and related companies in Egypt since the mid-2000s. He started working for Holcim Egypt as a Process Engineer in 2006 and then became Regional Process Expert - MEA in 2009. Other notables roles included becoming Regional HLC Project Manager - MEA in 2018 and Decarbonisation and Innovation Director in 2023. Gouda is a graduate in chemical engineering from Cairo University.


US: Fortera and Mississippi Lime Company (MLC) have signed an agreement to develop a commercial facility that will produce more than 300,000t/yr of the company’s low-carbon ReAct cement product. Fortera's ReCarb technology will capture CO₂ emissions from MLC's production of high-calcium lime, converting the CO₂ directly into cement.

"This partnership gives us the opportunity to scale our production to meet demand that already exists," said Ryan Gilliam, CEO and co-founder of Fortera. "We are excited to work with and learn from MLC."

MLC operates one of the largest lime production facilities in the Americas, supported by a network of production and distribution facilities across the US and UK. The companies plan to share additional details about the project in the coming months.

"Lime and cement are chemically similar businesses, and we've spent over a century perfecting our end of that process," said Paul Hogan, CEO of MLC. "Partnering with Fortera lets us put that expertise to work in a new market and gives us a real path to help decarbonise a hard-to-abate industry."


Saudi Arabia: Domestic cement sales rose by 0.4% year-on-year in August 2026 to 4.49Mt from 4.47Mt in the same month of 2025, an increase of 19,000t. Meanwhile, exports decreased by 18% to 92,000t, compared to 0.11Mt in August 2025, according to Al-Yamama Cement. Total cement sales, including exports, reached 4.58Mt in August 2026, compared to 4.59Mt in August 2025. Saudi Cement recorded its highest production level in August 2026 at 0.8Mt, while Southern Cement had the largest clinker inventory at 6.19Mt.

Al-Yamama Cement recorded the most sales in August 2026 with 0.83Mt, its highest level in eight months, representing 19% of total domestic sales. Saudi Cement's sales ranked second with 0.55Mt, capturing 12% of the domestic market, followed by Qassim Cement with sales of 0.33Mt. Arabian Cement achieved a 15% increase in domestic sales to reach 0.33Mt, followed by Yanbu Cement also with 0.33Mt, then Southern Cement with 0.31Mt.

Regarding the quantities of cement exported in August 2026, Saudi Cement recorded the most with 52,000t, capturing 57% of the market. Al-Jouf Cement exported 18,000t, up from only 1000t in August 2025. Meanwhile, exports from Najran Cement decreased by 32% year-on-year to 15,000t, while Eastern Cement recorded a 100% increase in its exports during August 2026 to 7000t.

Total sales for all cement companies reached 35.1Mt in the first eight months of 2026, compared to 35.8Mt in the same period of 2025 a decrease of about 2%. Domestic sales decreased in the first eight months of 2026, by 2% year-on-year to 34Mt, compared to 34.7Mt in the corresponding period of 2025. In contrast, exports increased during the first eight months of 2026 by about 0.6% year-on-year to 1.1Mt, compared to 1.09Mt in the same period of 2025.


Uganda: The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), in collaboration with local police, has carried out an operation in Kampala to crack down on dealers involved in the illegal repackaging and sale of underweight cement. During the operation, authorities confiscated more than 50t of cement that had allegedly been repackaged into bags weighing as little as 35kg. Police arrested 15 suspects. The operation is part of ongoing efforts by UNBS and law enforcement agencies to protect consumers, curb the sale of counterfeit and substandard products, and ensure that cement sold on the Ugandan market meets the required quality and weight standards.


Uzbekistan: Cement plants in Uzbekistan produced 12.1Mt of cement in the first seven months of the year, according to the National Statistics Committee. This represents an increase of 0.1Mt or 0.8% year-on-year from the same period of 2025, when cement production totalled 12Mt. From January to July 2024, cement production reached 9.1Mt.


Sweden: The Swedish Land and Environmental Court has granted Heidelberg Materials a 30-year permit to continue its quarry operations in Slite on the island of Gotland, effective immediately. The decision ensures a long-term supply of raw materials for the plant’s cement production. The permit includes a package of protection measures for water and the natural environment, developed in close collaboration with the relevant authorities, with the company investing €134m. Development work for the planned carbon capture and storage facility is currently on hold whilst efforts to secure funding continue.

"Today's announcement provides an important foundation for our long-term operations and for us to continue to be a stable partner in Sweden, and deliver a crucial material for construction, infrastructure and public safety. At the same time, we take clear responsibility for water, nature and the local community on Gotland," said Giv Brantenberg, General Manager for Heidelberg Materials' Northern Europe region.


Peru: Heidelberg Materials has entered into a binding agreement to acquire a 70% majority stake in Peru-based Cementos Inka. The company was founded in 2007 and employs around 200 people. It operates two grinding units with a combined capacity of 1.3Mt/yr, as well as two ready-mix concrete plants. Its production sites are located near Lima and Pisco. According to a statement from Heidelberg Materials, both parties have agreed not to disclose the financial terms of the transaction, which is expected to be closed by October 2026.


Cuba: Amid the country’s ‘difficult’ economic situation, Cemento Siguaney is behind on its production schedule for 2026, according to local press.

Technical director of the company’s Taguasco plant Juan Carlos Torres Rodríguez said "We can say that today, out of a production plan for grey cement exceeding 24,000t in 2026, we have only accumulated 7640t. Our products are directed to the five eastern provinces, to Ciego de Ávila, Sancti Spíritus, Villa Clara and Cienfuegos. Among the fundamental causes limiting cement production, for quite some time now, has been the lack of refractory bricks.  We are working with innovators who are using their own concrete to cover the kiln, as well as the significant deterioration of the kiln floor, which causes heat loss and reduces efficiency. Based on current conditions with raw materials, including clinker, we expect to increase production in September and October 2026.”


Argentina: Total cement despatches in Argentina fell by 8% year-on-year to 817,000t in August 2026, and accumulated despatches in the first eight months of 2026 fell by 4% year-on-year to 6.32Mt. Domestic despatches fell by 8% year-on-year to 814,000t in August 2026, while exports fell to 2625t from 3541t in August 2025.

Total cement consumption fell by 8% year-on-year to 815,000t in August 2026, with accumulated consumption in the first eight months of 2026 down by 4% year-on-year to 6.29Mt. Imports fell to 220t in August 2026 from 298t in August 2025.


Bangladesh: The modernisation of the only state-owned cement producer in the country, Chhatak Cement, remains unfinished 11 years after the project began, according to the Daily Times of Bangladesh. The government is now reportedly seeking another 1.5 year extension.

The project was launched in 2016, and its cost has more than doubled from US$54m to US$115m. Production has been suspended for more than six years due to shortages of limestone and gas, yet the company has been forced to borrow money to pay its employees every month. The factory has around 200 employees, with a monthly salary bill of US$89,000–US$97,000, according to project authorities.

Project director and plant manager Abdur Rahman, said that production cannot resume before June 2027. Any further delay would mean continued borrowing to pay employees.

An estimated US$6.9m-US$7.6m has reportedly already been spent on salaries over the past 6.5 years while the plant has remained idle. Employees have been assigned essential duties, including the security and maintenance of plant facilities and machinery, as well as ensuring water and electricity supplies. A ‘significant number’ of employees have been working in shifts, particularly to maintain the plant’s security.

The project was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council in March 2016, with completion scheduled for December 2019. The deadline was extended three times, eventually to June 2026, and is now proposed to be extended by another one and a half years. Physical progress stands at 92%, while financial progress is 77%. A section of the limestone transport ropeway in India has not been built, while the required gas pipeline in Bangladesh is also yet to be installed. The ropeway is about 17km long, with 11km in Bangladesh and 6km in India. Work on the Bangladesh section is under way, but construction of the Indian section has yet to begin.


Oman: Raysut Cement Group has reported a net profit after tax of US$7m for the first half of 2026, compared to losses of US$7.4m during the same period of 2025. This turnaround was reportedly supported by higher sales volumes and increased operational efficiency.

The group has a regional distribution and export network with a production capacity of approximately 3.47Mt/yr of clinker and 5.70Mt/yr of cement.

Salim Abdul Qader, CEO of Raysut Cement, said that the company succeeded in returning to profitability during the first half of 2026 for the first time in six years.


Armenia: Businessman Narek Nalbandyan has acquired the Hrazdan cement plant, which has been idle for years, according to PanArmenian news.

“A new stage of development is beginning for the plant. A large-scale investment programme is planned to be launched as soon as possible. Under the program, the plant's equipment will be modernised, its production capacity will be restored and new jobs will be created,” Nalbandyan said.

The plant is considered one of Armenia's two major cement plants. It has changed owners several times over the past 20 years, according to local press. Most recently, in late 2017, it was acquired by Hrazdan Cement, but bankruptcy proceedings involving the company began in 2022.


Malaysia: The disruption to cement supplies currently affecting the market in Sabah is expected to be fully resolved by mid-September 2026. The shortage was reportedly caused by repair and maintenance works at the Cement Industries Sabah (CIS) cement plant in Teluk Sepangar, according to local press. CIS General Manager Sumardi Mohd Yusuf said that market recovery is progressing smoothly after all technical works at the facility had been fully completed on 4 September 2026. He added that ‘unforeseen logistical issues’ had also contributed to the supply disruption.

“The delayed arrival of vessels carrying clinker and bulk cement also contributed to the current disruption in market supply. The delays are caused by unfavourable weather conditions at the port of the plant supplying the materials,” the company said in a statement.

Sumardi said that proactive measures are being taken to increase production in the near term to meet domestic demand and that CIS has also drawn up short-term strategies to ensure the shortage did not persist and affect development projects, such as increasing the volume of clinker sourced from external suppliers to build up larger stockpiles.


Morocco: Cement deliveries to Morocco reached 1.3Mt in August 2026, a decrease of 3.5% year-on-year from 1.35Mt in August 2025, according to data from members of the Professional Association of Cement Manufacturers (APC). Over the first eight months of the year, the decline was more limited, with a cumulative decrease of 1%. This trend is mainly due to the decline in deliveries to the construction sector, which fell by 37% year-on-year. However, deliveries for infrastructure projects increased by 20% in August 2026.

Over the first eight months of 2026, cumulative deliveries amounted to 9.5Mt, compared to 9.6Mt at the end of August 2025, representing a decline of 1%.


France: Vicat and Derichebourg Environnement will launch a new project through their jointly owned company VALèreCO dedicated to the production and energy recovery of solid recovered fuel (SRF). Derichebourg Environnement’s subsidiary Purfer produces alternative fuels for Vicat’s Montalieu-Vercieu cement plant.

The project involves the construction of an SRF production unit in Pagny-sur-Meuse at a cost of nearly €7m. The facility will produce 34,000t/yr of SRF (40,000t/yr at full capacity) to supply Vicat’s Xeuilley cement plant, which produces low-carbon cement. The project will reportedly avoid 30,000t/yr of CO₂ emissions by replacing fossil fuels. Vicat said that the project supports the companies’ ambitions to accelerate industrial decarbonisation and transform non-recyclable waste into alternative energy resources that can replace fossil fuels. The SRF will be produced less than 50km from where it is consumed, reducing emissions from transportation.


Belgium: The Compagnie des Ciments Belges (CCB) celebrated its 120th anniversary on 3 September 2026, and announced the acceleration of its CCBeNETZERO project. The company is owned by Cementir Holding, and currently operates three limestone quarries, a cement plant and 12 concrete batching plants. It produces 2Mt/yr of cement. With its decarbonisation project, CCB plans to capture and transport up to 1.2Mt/yr of CO₂, with the goal of net-zero clinker production by 2032. It also has several other levers: decarbonised energy supply, increased use of alternative fuels and local production of renewable electricity via a wind farm and waste heat recovery.

"We are proud to celebrate 120 years of history and deep roots in the region. This anniversary belongs first and foremost to our teams, whose expertise and commitment have allowed CCB to thrive through generations, but also to our customers and partners, who place their trust in us every day to support their projects. This long-term relationship is at the heart of our success and sustainability. Together, we will continue the transformation of the cement plant to meet the challenges of tomorrow, particularly that of decarbonisation," said CEO Philippe Frenay.


Germany: Holcim has entered into an agreement to acquire European walling and flooring manufacturer Fermacell from James Hardie Industries. Fermacell produces cement-bonded boards and has projected net sales of around €430m. The deal is reportedly valued at €830m. Fermacell has six production sites in Europe. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2027.


Mexico: Cement sales in Mexico grew by 2% in the first half of 2026, with the industry confident that it will finish the year ‘quite well,’ according to Julio Cedeño, the general director the National Chamber of Cement (Canacem). He attributed the growth to the construction of passenger railway lines from Mexico City to various destinations across the country and to the building of hotels, offices and other infrastructure projects.

He said “We are coming from a challenging year, but the numbers show we are on the right track, and there has already been a 62% increase in physical investment. “We saw a 2% growth in sales when all indicators were declining, thanks to the World Cup, and now we are focusing on physical investment. Spending on the construction of housing and hospitals is already underway, which has boosted cement consumption. Public investment is the main engine of the country’s infrastructure, and that’s where we come in.”

Across Latin America, 200Mt/yr of cement is produced, according to Noticias Financieras news, while Mexico produces 45Mt/yr. National cement consumption declined by 6% in 2025, but starting in January 2026 there has been a cumulative growth of 3% in sales, said Christian Dedeu, CEO of Holcim Mexico.


US: Total shipments of cement, including imports, in the US and Puerto Rico in April 2026 were an estimated 9.27Mt, a 2% year-on-year increase. Shipments for the first four months of 2026 totalled 30.5Mt, representing a 5% year-on-year increase. The leading destination for shipments by tonnage was Texas. The leading cement-producing states in April 2026 were Texas, Missouri, California, Florida and Alabama. The leading cement-consuming states received 39% of shipments during this month. Clinker production, excluding Puerto Rico, totalled 6.15Mt in April 2026,a 15% year-on-year increase. Production for the first four months of 2026 totalled 19.8Mt, a 7% year-on-year increase. The leading clinker-producing states in April 2026 were Texas, Missouri, California, Florida and Alabama.

April 2026 imports of cement and clinker, including Puerto Rico, totalled 2.17Mt a 0.5% decrease from April 2025. Imports for the first four months of 2026 totalled 7.41Mt, an increase of 1.5% year-on-year.


Czech Republic: Holcim has launched a new calcined clay production line in Čížkovice that will enable it to produce 0.58Mt/yr of ECOPlanet low-carbon cement. It said that this cement has around 30% lower CO₂ emissions compared to ordinary Portland cement due to the replacement of clinker with calcined clay. The line is the first of its kind in the Czech Republic and the calcined clay is supplied from Holcim’s nearby quarry. The Čížkovice line cost €42.6m, with €13.8m funded by the country’s Ministry of Environment’s Modernisation Fund.

Andrej Babiš, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, said "This project is proof that Czech industry can be modern, competitive and environmentally responsible at the same time. This is exactly the kind of investment our country needs. It combines technological innovation, the use of domestic resources and investments in the future."

Xavier Guesnu, Holcim Region Head Central and East Europe, said “The commissioning of this production line is an important step to scale up next generation ECOPlanet low-carbon cement as an innovative solution to meet our customers’ most ambitious goals, as the leading partner for sustainable construction."


El Salvador: Dominican Republic-based Cemento Panam, a subsidiary of Grupo Estrella, has announced the acquisition of Cementos Fortaleza in El Salvador. The agreement includes the company’s plant in Acajutla, which has an installed capacity of 0.35Mt/yr of cement. The transaction was financed with support from the Latin American Foreign Trade Bank, BAC and Global Bank. With the acquisition, Grupo Estrella has expanded its cement operations to a third market, adding El Salvador to its existing presence in the Dominican Republic and Panama, where it operates under the Cemento Bayano brand.


France: Heidelberg Materials’ new kiln line at its Airvault plant in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region has produced its first cement, according to a post by Director of Cement Bruno Manivet on social media. The plant commissioned the new kiln line in April 2026, which received an investment of €350m. The new Gebr. Pfeiffer MVR 5000 C-4 mill has produced its first batch of cement, with Manivet adding that the plant will produce lower-carbon cements from September 2026.


Pakistan: Cement despatches declined by 0.7% in August 2026 to 4.04Mt, against 4.07Mt despatched during August 2025. According to the data released by All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association, local cement despatches by the industry in August 2026 were 3.28Mt compared to 3.32Mt in August 2025, showing a decline of 1%. Exports marginally increased by 0.92% from 0.75Mt in August 2025 to 0.76Mt in August 2026.

A spokesman of All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association expressed ‘grave concerns’ over the ‘alarming’ situation in northern areas of the country due to heavy rains, according to the Business Recorder.