Global Cement News

Sweden: HeidelbergCement’s subsidiary Cementa has completed a feasibility study into electrifying its cement plant at Slite in Gotland as part of its Cemzero project. A report from the first phase of the project has been submitted to the Swedish Energy Agency.

The study found that using electricity to supply heat during the clinker production process is possible using plasma technology, although this needs to be tested on a larger scale. Using an electrified process was found to be competitive compared to other options for achieving high reductions in carbon emission. The production cost of cement would be doubled approximately but the research suggested that this might only mean a small percentage increase to the end cost of a building or an infrastructure project. Finally, the study reported that any future electrification of the Slite plant would work well with a planned expansion to wind turbine generation at the site. It would improve the energy balance and reduce the maximum power surplus that might occur.

Cementa and energy company Vatenfall will now look at how to build a pilot plant.

Peru: Chile’s Cementos Bío Bío plans to build a US$20m grinding plant at the Port of Matarani near Arequipa. The cement producer has all the necessary permits in place and it intends to open the unit in the first half of 2020, according to the Diario Financiero newspaper. Spain’s Cemengal will supply a Plug & Grind mill for the project. The plant will have a production capacity of 0.2Mt/yr, although there are plans to double this if the market supports it.

Peru: UNACEM’s sales rose by 5.7% year-on-year to US$586m in 2018 from US$555m in 2017. Its cement sales despatches grew by 1.3% to 5.06Mt from 4.99Mt. Its operating profit fell by 13% to US$184m from US$211m. It blamed the fall in profit on reduced dividends from a subsidiary in Ecuador and other businesses. During the year the cement producer made upgrades to its Atocongo Thermal Plant and to dusting system for the coolers on kilns 2 and 3 at its Condorcocha cement plant.

Chile: Spain’s Cemengal has been confirmed as the supplier of a mill for Cementos Melón’s grinding plant at Punta Arenas. The unit will use a Plug & Grind Xtreme modular grinding plant. The contract includes all the mechanical, electrical and automation equipment required for a 0.3Mt/yr modular ball mill and a classifier. Cemengal will deliver the mill by the end of 2019 to allow first cement and commissioning of the plant in the first quarter of 2020.

Chile: Cementos Polpaico has blamed a loss of US$3.2m in 2018 on changing an electricity supply contract. Changing the contract to move to a new supplier, Colbún, led to a negative financial impact of around US$12.5m. Its sales rose by 23% year-on-year to US$249m in 2018 from US$202m in 2017. Its sales volumes of cement grew by 10% to 1.35Mt from 1.23Mt. Despite the overall loss its earnings before interest taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased by 51% to US$18.7m from US$12.4m.