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Nigeria: Lafarge Africa has reported a decline in net income for the first quarter ending 31 March 2024. Sales rose to US$98m from US$63.2m in 2023, but net income fell to US$3.6m from US$10.3m in 2023.
JSW Cement to establish cement plant in Nagaur 13 May 2024
India: JSW Cement will establish its first cement plant in the north of the country at Nagaur, Rajasthan. The new site will begin with a capacity of 3.3Mt/yr, eventually expanding to a capacity of 15Mt/yr by 2026.
Managing director Parth Jindal posted on X "Extremely proud that JSW Cement is entering North India, today we have broken ground at our site in Nagaur, Rajasthan. A new beginning for JSW, one that will see us becoming a pan-Indian cement player by 2026.”
Argentina: Loma Negra reported a substantial 27% year-on-year drop in sales to US$123m and a 34% reduction in adjusted earnings before interest, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) to US$42m in the first quarter of 2024, impacted by declining cement volumes. This financial report coincides with its parent company InterCement's discussions to sell Loma Negra's operations in Brazil and Argentina to Compañía Siderúrgica Nacional. Although lower demand affected cement dispatch, it was also particularly affected by the political transition and economic environment, as well as adverse weather conditions in March 2024.
CEO Sergio Faifman said "The stabilisation plan being implemented by the new government after the strong devaluation in December has made rapid progress by significantly reducing inflation and achieving a fiscal surplus, but economic activity is still in negative territory, affecting the construction industry."
Jamaica: Caribbean Cement is allocating US$8m, 20% of its planned US$40m investment in 2024, to increase sustainability efforts at its Rockfort plant. The company is aiming to become net-zero by increasing its use of alternative fuels and repurposing materials like tyres, which will also help to save on operational expenses and fuel costs, according to the company.
The repurposing of tyres, which commenced following a Government of Jamaica partnership, will remove a ‘significant’ portion of the estimated 1.5m tyres at the country’s Riverton dump, along with other materials such as pallets, which Caribbean Cement now uses as alternative fuel sources in the cement manufacturing process. With the help of its XRC3000c shredder obtained from Austria-based company UNTHA, Caribbean Cement said it has shredded more than 9000 tyres to date.
Managing director Jorge Martínez said “At the moment our first goal for the end of 2024 is to at least reach 10% alternative fuels. We will remove some of those fuels that are not renewable, substituting it with ones that are. This is part of our future in action programme. Some of these actions are also related to the reuse of some materials in the plant as we take waste materials from other industries and beach clean-ups for repurposing. We try to reuse them in any way we can.”
US: Cemex has contested Boulder County's decision to terminate its right to operate the Lyons cement plant and is calling for the decision to be reversed, citing ‘significant’ implications for the state and local employment. The dispute follows a notice from the Boulder Country Community Planning office in April 2024, attributing increased traffic as the primary reason for the termination. The county and the Colorado Department of Transportation began investigating the plant in 2022, after residents of the area complained.
Cemex stated in its response to Boulder County "The Department's conclusion did not take into account the historical trucking of material to and from the Lyons cement plant, relying instead on a study Cemex voluntarily undertook for the Colorado Department of Transportation for a different purpose, and that considered only three days of traffic data in each of two consecutive years. The determination also failed to apply applicable precedent that a nonconforming use does not terminate when traffic occurring off-site changes."
The Community Planning and Permitting Director will now review the additional evidence brought forth by Cemex and issue an additional determination. Depending on the outcome, Cemex will have the option to appeal the decision to the Boulder County Board of Commissioners. The closing of the Lyons plant would lead to the loss of 100 jobs and only two cement plants remaining in Colorado.