Global Cement News

Brazil: China-based Huaxin Cement has signed a deal worth US$187m to buy aggregates producer Embu. Embu owns four quarries in the metropolitan region of São Paulo with a production capacity of nearly 9Mt/yr, according to the Rio Times newspaper. In 2023 it produced 6.3Mt and reported a net profit of around US$3.2m.

India: One person has died and five sustained injuries in a disaster at Adani Group subsidiary Penna Cement’s Yadiki cement plant in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur District. The Hindu newspaper has reported that an incident of an unspecified nature occurred on the night of 18 December 2024.

Anantapur’s Industrial Safety Committee is compiling a report for the district collector, who may take action against any party at fault.

US: The Portland Cement Association (PCA) has asked the US Department of Energy to add alternative fuels to its Material Circularity Framework. It said that alternative fuels in the cement manufacturing process are better for the environment than the use of traditional fuels and that it diverted a significant amount of materials from landfill. The PCA said that the DOE’s Framework “…should address how to promote circularity through alternative fuels and replacement of raw materials to promote reducing greenhouse gases emissions.”

The DOE released its draft strategic framework ‘Circularity for Secure and Sustainable Products and Materials’ in October 2024. It asked for feedback from stakeholders by mid-December 2024. The framework is intended to identify opportunities and challenges to use circularity to decarbonise industry, secure supply chains, benefit communities and create jobs. The draft mentions recycling concrete and generating secondary cementitious materials from recovered material streams.

Spain: According to the latest data from Oficemen, cement consumption in Spain recorded an average increase of 1.8% in 2024, after rising by 4.3% in November 2024. The figures align with the 1.3% growth observed from January to October 2024. November's boost brought the monthly consumption to 1.34Mt nearly 56,000t more than in November 2023. Despite a 41% growth in exports in November 2024, adding 154,387t, an 8.8% year-on-year decline. From January to November 2024, Spain exported 4.54Mt of cement, 0.44Mt or 9.7% less than the same period in 2023.

Aniceto Zaragoza, general director of Oficemen, said "These positive figures are in line with the forecasts we gave at the beginning of 2024, where we expected a moderate recovery towards the end of the year. With 11 months of data now available, it is not risky to predict that we will close the year with slight positive growth, as we anticipated in January 2024. This trend makes us look at 2025 with some optimism, expecting a more solid increase in consumption."

Kenya: Holcim has completed the divestment of its Kenyan operations by selling its entire 58.6% stake in Bamburi Cement to Amsons Group. The transaction has resulted in cash proceeds of over US$100m for Holcim, according to the company's press release.