Global Cement News

Egypt: South Valley Cement says it is in a dispute with China’s Sinoma CDI over an upgrade to its Beni Suef plant. The cement producer alleges that Sinoma has not met its contractual obligations on the project to build new mills. South Valley Cement says that Sinoma has liquidated letters of guarantee worth nearly US$2m, left the construction site and started arbitration proceedings. South Valley Cement is now considering its legal options. The status of the upgrade project remains unknown.

China: Anhui Conch’s Wuhu Conch subsidiary has installed bag filters on its Line 3 production line. Dust emissions are stable at 7 – 8mg/m³. The cement producer said that this was in full compliance with national emissions standards.

Jordan: Residents have protested outside a court against the Jordan Cement Company on environmental grounds. The protestors allege that the cement producer’s plants have caused ‘severe’ pollution that has negatively effected the health of those living nearby, according to the Jordan Times newspaper. In a statement the demonstrators claimed to represent thousands of local stakeholders and plaintiffs in a long running campaign against the subsidiary of Switzerland’s LafargeHolcim.

Bahrain: France’s Fives Group has launched a joint educational initiative with the ‘Tamkeen’ Labour Fund and Bahrain Polytechnic. The project is aimed at increasing the number of Bahraini workforce in the industrial sector, by reinforcing the employability of Bahrainis and by bridging existing skill gaps, in-line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 requirements. Fives plans to contribute in a non-profit initiative as part of its Corporate Citizenship Program. It will provide internship opportunities within the worldwide network of its companies and will partner with Bahrain Polytechnic.

“Fives has a longstanding commitment to Bahrain where we have been established since 2003. As a corporate citizen, we are proud to contribute to the communities in which we operate. This initiative is one of the ways in which the group supports the sustainability of the industry in Bahrain. The partnership between public and private entities that we have created with this initiative is really a model for the future,” said Frédéric Sanchez, Fives’ chairman of the executive board.

The training programs will be implemented and delivered by Bahrain Polytechnic, which was established by Bahraini Government to deliver applied learning, technical education, skills-based and occupational trainings.

India: Chandrababu Naidu, the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, has laid the foundation stone for Ramco Cements’ new 3.15Mt/yr integrated plant at Kalavatala, Kolimigundla Mandal in Kurnool District. The project has an investment of nearly US$210m. The plant will include a waste heat recovery (WHR) unit and a captive power plant. A 25km railway line from Samjamala has also been proposed to support the plant. Once the required statuary clearances are obtained the plant is expected to take 15 months to build.

Other new projects the cement producer has scheduled include an upgrade at its Jayanthipuram plant in Krishna District to 4.6Mt/yr from 3.1Mt/yr with a 27MW WHR unit. The project has a cost of just over US$100m and it is expected to be commissioned in March 2020. The company is also upgrading the grinding capacity of its Vizag plant to 2Mt/yr from 0.9Mt/yr. This project has an investment of around US$25m and is also expected to be commissioned in March 2020. Once these three projects are completed Ramco Cements says that it will become the largest producer in Andhra Pradesh with a production capacity of nearly 10Mt/yr.

In the east of the country Ramco Cements us building a new 0.9Mt/yr grinding plant in Odisha with a railway terminal for around US$70. This is expected to be commissioned by September 2019. In West Bengal the company is upgrading the grinding capacity at its Kolaghat plant in East Midnapore district to 2Mt/yr from 0.9Mt/yr for around US$60m. This project also includes a railway terminal and it is scheduled for commissioning in April 2019. Altogether the company plans to reach a cement production capacity of 20Mt/yr by 2020 across the country.