Mexico: The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and Mind the Bridge have named Cemex among construction industry sustainability leaders at the Top 100 Corporate Startup Stars 2023. The designation recognises work towards world-class open innovation and sustainability practices and successes in establishing collaborations between corporations and start-ups.

Gonzalo Galindo, head of Cemex’s venture capital arm Cemex Ventures, said “Fostering innovation, one of Cemex’s core values, is a fundamental aspect of our company culture and central to our commitment to our customers and communities in which we are present. We’re thrilled to be considered among some of the world’s most innovative companies in this year’s Corporate Startup Stars list, and will continue to disrupt the status quo and foster the construction industry revolution.”

India: Adani Group announced planned investments of US$204m in its cement operations in the state of Uttarakhand. The Business Standard newspaper has reported that the investments are made up of US$36m in an expansion to more than double the capacity of Ambuja Cement’s Roorkee grinding plant to 3Mt/yr and US$168m in the construction of a new 4Mt/yr grinding plant.

UK: Holcim subsidiary Aggregate Industries has commenced its construction of a cement blending plant and import hub on the River Thames at the Port of Tilbury in Essex. The facility also includes units for the production of reduced-CO₂ cement components, including ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) and construction demolition waste (CDW)-based materials. The Tilbury site has five loading heads and will help Aggregate Industries to maintain its continuous supply of conventional, reduced-CO₂ and circular cementitious materials to London and South East England.

Chief executive officer Dragan Maksimovic said “This important investment will further strengthen our position in the market, allowing us to drive our sustainability ambitions and lead the way in low carbon and circular building materials. The London and South East construction market has major regional projects on the horizon, and we are primed and ready to meet the region’s rising demand for sustainable solutions.”

Steve Curley, managing director cement, added “Our ECOPlanet range of green cement was recently added to our green offering. By investing in this impressive facility within the Port of Tilbury, we will truly boost our sustainable offering and be more agile and efficient in the way we manufacture, transport and supply our products across this region.”

India: Sweden-based SaltX Technology has partnered with Dalmia Cement (Bharat) to launch a pilot trial of fuel-free cement production using its electric arc calciner (EAC) in 2024. The pilot plant will be situated at Dalmia Cement (Bharat)’s Rajganga Nagpur cement plant in Odisha. Pre-study work, including material tests at SaltX Technology's test and research centre in Hofors, Sweden, will commence in early 2024.

Dalmia Cement (Bharat) managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) Mahendra Singhi said "In line with our ambition to further reduce our carbon footprint, we are delighted to collaborate with SaltX, a leading innovator with electrification and carbon capture technology that has great potential to play a decisive role in our intense work to reduce our carbon emissions."

SaltX Technology CEO Carl-Johan Linér said "I am pleased to confirm that we have now started working together on-site for the upcoming pilot in India. We have met all key individuals in the project and look forward with confidence to starting the pre-study next year."