Afghanistan: Nabiullah Arghandiwal, spokesperson for the National Development Corporation, said that the plant's cement output has increased to 700t/day, from just 150t/day in 2025, according to Bakhtar News Agency. Arghandiwal said that the cement produced is being used in several infrastructure projects across the country. He said that Units 1 and 2 are currently operational, while construction of Unit 3 is progressing on schedule. Once completed, the plant's total production capacity is set to reach 5000t/day.

Puerto Rico: Cement production and sales are on the rise in Puerto Rico, due to public investment with federal reconstruction funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Data from the Puerto Rico Planning Board’s economic summary reveals that cement production increased by 2% in June 2026, totalling 739,000 bags of cement, and sales increased by 1%, reaching 1.3 million bags sold. FEMA approved more than US$35m in post-disaster funding in July 2026. Nearly US$9.8m will be sent to the Puerto Rico Port Authority to restore Rafael Hernandez International Airport in Aguadilla following damage from Hurricane Maria in 2017.

President of the Puerto Rican chapter of the General Contractors Association of America Ismael González said that unemployment would decrease due to more construction jobs available.  

Norway: The Northern Lights carbon capture and storage project has received a fourth CO₂ tanker, completing the fleet required for the first phase of its CO₂ transport and storage operations in Norway, the company said in a statement on 29 July 2026. The tanker Northern Purpose has arrived in Norway, adding to three other CO₂ tankers that Northern Lights has for the 1.5Mt/yr storage facility in the Norwegian North Sea.

"The vessel secures Northern Lights' transport capacity and supports growing demand for CO₂ transport and storage services across Europe," it said, noting that the tanker would ‘support upcoming customer operations.’

Northern Lights started the first liquid CO₂ injections in August 2025, with Heidelberg Materials supplying CO₂ from its Brevik cement plant from June 2025. CO₂ is transported via a 100km pipeline from the receiving terminal and injected into the Aurora reservoir, located 2600m below the seabed in the North Sea. Heidelberg Materials plans to capture and store 0.4Mt/yr at full capacity. The first phase of Northern Lights is fully subscribed. Northern Lights is a joint venture between Equinor, TotalEnergies and Shell.

UK: Breedon Group reported sales of €1bn in the first half of 2026, up by 5% year-on-year. Earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) was flat at €135m. Profit before tax fell by 16% to €48m. Breedon deployed €128m into bolt-on acquisitions in Ireland and the US in the period.

The group expects 2026 performance in line with market expectations, with positive momentum in Ireland and the US. In the UK, it said that market indicators suggest demand will decline for a fifth consecutive year, though infrastructure provides some support.