Global Cement News

US: Charah Solutions has appointed Matthew Sutton as its chief executive officer (CEO). He will report to the company’s executive chair Curt Morgan.

Sutton holds over 30 years of management experience from various environmental, engineering and consulting companies. He worked as the president of CH2M’s environmental and nuclear management business, the CEO of global environmental services at AECOM and executive vice president of Arcadis Environmental. He also spent time as the Senior Vice President of ehsAI, an environmental, health and safety compliance machine learning start-up and, most recently, as president and CEO of Matrix Solutions, an environmental and engineering consulting company. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of New Hampshire.

Thailand: Siam Cement Group (SCG) reported sales of US$14bn in 2023, down by 12% year-on-year from 2022 levels. Nonetheless, its profit grew by 21% to US$726m, largely attributed to gains from fair value adjustments of investments in the first half of 2023. The group’s cement and construction products business incurred a loss due to local impairments of cement plant assets.

As of 31 December 2023, SCG's total assets amounted to US$22bn, down by 1.4% year-on-year from the end of 2022.

China: The Ministry of Environment and Ecology has enacted new requirements for ultra-low emissions clinker production in the Chinese cement industry. OPIS News Alerts has reported that 50% of clinker production capacity (850Mt/yr) must conform with the standard by 2025, rising to 80% by 2028. The standard encompasses the whole value chain, from raw materials production to transport of the finished product. The ministry expects the regulations, together with similar ones for the coking sector, to reduce domestic CO₂ emissions by 10Mt/yr. In the cement sector, the new requirements will intersect with upcoming emissions trading scheme (ETS), which is expected to come online by 2025.

The Ministry of Environment and Ecology said “Oversupply and a persistent demand lull has resulted in declining profit and lower operating rates for the cement industry in China for the past three years. Setting up low emission standards and providing policy incentives for production with higher efficiency and lower environmental impact will help promote green transformation within the industry, while driving out inefficient capacities.”

Saudi Arabia: Sinoma Overseas Development has reported the successful construction of the first steel column for the kiln inlet of the new Line 3 at Yamama Cement’s Al Kharj cement plant in Northern Halal. The China-based supplier used a crawler crane to position the structural element, which is painted in its characteristic blue. In a post to LinkedIn, it said that the development ‘kicks off the steel construction and installation’ of the upcoming 12,500t/day (4.6Mt/yr) line.

Sinoma Overseas Development said “Meticulous preparations were made for the successful completion of the first installation as a landmark task in the project’s construction: civil engineers re-measured pre-embedded bolts multiple times, cleared pathways, and set the area ready for operation. Seamless coordination between commanders and operators, combined with whole-process supervision of managers, made the successful installation of the first steel column possible.” Looking forwards, it said “The project team, greatly inspired by the successful installation, will continue to face challenges head-on, chase for high quality while ensuring safety and make sure tasks are completed in due time for the safe and smooth operation of subsequent construction.”

Türkiye: Sinoma Overseas Development has won a contract to execute the first phase of a four-plant solar power project across three of LIMAK Cement Group’s cement plants in Türkiye. The contract covers engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of an initial 28.2MW-worth of new solar power capacity.

Sinoma Overseas Development said “This project opens a new chapter of our robust partnership built on many successful practices of cooperation on projects of cement EPC and supply services over the past decade, leading us into a new field of green energy. The deeper and wider cooperation between LIMAK and us reflects its recognition and trust in our company's ability to perform the contracts in the past, indicating another significant leap in exploiting the Turkish market, expanding localised operations, and transforming to providing green energy projects.” The supplier added “We will exert our utmost in project execution and client services to propel LIMAK’s strategic blueprint of energy saving and carbon reduction in its pursuit of a greener, more sustainable future.”