Algeria: The Minister of Industry Sifi Ghrieb has announced a project to build two new low-carbon cement plants in Djelfa and Relizane in central Algeria with a capacity of 1.5Mt/yr and 2Mt/yr respectively, according to Zawya news. An existing cement plant in Djelfa will also see its capacity expanded by 1.5Mt/yr.

The new projects will boost Algeria’s cement capacity to 42Mt/yr. It currently has a cement demand of 30Mt/yr and exports a surplus of 12Mt/yr of cement. Ghrief reportedly discussed plans to expand the Djelfa plant in March 2025 with a delegation from the China State Construction Engineering Corporation. A separate 2Mt/yr low-carbon cement plant, a partnership between local, UAE-based and India-based companies, is also under construction in El Milia, utilising slag and fly ash from a nearby power station and steel complex.

Syria: Al-Badia Cement will invest over US$200m to expand its grinding and packaging lines and build a second production line, raising capacity to more than 5Mt/yr, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency. Chair of the board Imad Abdul Qader al-Muhaidib said the announcement coincided with the visit of a Saudi delegation of 130 investors, led by Saudi investment minister Khalid bin Abdulaziz al-Falih, to sign bilateral economic agreements.

Syria: Northern Region Cement has inaugurated the US$20m Al-Fayhaa Northern Cement plant, officiated by Saudi investment minister Khalid Al-Falih, according to Argaam news. The plant is owned by subsidiary Northern Jordan Cement and has a production capacity of 0.15Mt/yr of white cement.

India: Tamil Nadu will host one of five national carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) testbeds aimed at lowering CO₂ emissions in the cement sector in a step towards the country’s 2070 net-zero target, according to The New Indian Express newspaper. The testbed will be located at UltraTech Cement’s Reddipalayam plant in Ariyalur district, supported by the Indian Institute of Technology Madras and Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani. The project is part of a Department of Science and Technology (DST) programme, which will trial an oxygen-enriched kiln system capturing up to 2t/day of CO₂ for mineralisation into concrete products. Other CCU testbeds are being established in Rajasthan, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, with JK Cement and Dalmia Cement involved.

Union Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh said the DST was currently processing financial sanctions for the projects, and full-scale implementation is expected in 2025.