Global Cement News

Ghana: Italy-based Bedeschi has installed handling equipment and conveyor lines for a clinker, bauxite and manganese project at the Port of Takoradi. The initiative is now at the commissioning stage. Bedeschi supplied five conveyor belts with a total length of 3km, two A frame type 50/1400 shiploaders and one eco-hopper. The shiploaders and the eco-hopper were delivered fully erected from the manufacturer’s shipyard directly to the client jetty with a dedicated heavy-lift vessel.

Spain: Mexico-based Cemex and its venture capital subsidiary Cemex Ventures have invested in Waste to Energy Advanced Solutions (WtEnergy), an energy startup company that has developed a process to transform solid waste into synthesis gas (Syngas) for industrial purposes.

WtEnergy converts biomass and non-recyclable waste into Syngas, which can be used in the short-term as a fossil fuel alternative or be upgraded in the medium- and long-term to gases such as biomethane or pure hydrogen. Cemex intends to incorporate this energy source into its clinker and cement manufacturing process, looking to further reduce the carbon footprint of its operations. Cemex aims to increase its fossil fuel substitution rate by 20% by 2030.

Gonzalo Galindo, the president of Cemex Ventures, said, “This investment aligns with our strategy to find innovative clean fuel and energy sources for the cement industry.” He added, “We have outlined an ambitious rollout strategy across multiple operations, starting with Spain and other European countries before expanding to other international markets.”

Canada: Chevron New Energies (CNE), a division of Chevron USA, is the lead investor in Svante’s Series E fundraising round, which raised US$318m. The capital will be used to accelerate the manufacture of Svante’s carbon capture technology. Other fundraising round participants include existing shareholders Temasek, OGCI Climate Investments, Delek US and Hesta AG, and new investors, 3M Ventures, Full Circle Capital, GE Vernova, the Japan Energy Fund, Liberty Media, M&G Catalyst, Samsung Ventures, TechEnergy Ventures and United Airlines Ventures.

Chevron Technology Ventures made an initial investment in Svante in 2014. In 2020, Chevron launched a project to pilot Svante’s technology to capture CO₂ from post combustion of natural gas. The project has received funding from the US Department of Energy. In collaboration with Svante and the National Energy Technology Laboratory, the technology will be tested at Chevron’s Kern River facility in San Joaquin Valley, California, with start-up scheduled for December 2022.

Svante was founded in 2007 and it has developed carbon capture and removal technology using structured adsorbent beds, known as filters. The latest funding will support Svante’s commercial-scale filter manufacturing facility in Vancouver. Trials using Svante’s technology in the cement sector have been run at Lafarge Canada’s Richmond cement plant in British Colombia and Holcim US’s Florence cement plant in Colorado.

Philippines: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has decided to impose anti-dumping duties on cement imported from Vietnam. Trade Secretary Alfredo E Pascual said that the dumping of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and Blended Cement from Vietnam posed an "imminent threat of material injury to the domestic cement industry," according to the BusinessWorld newspaper. The duties will comprise 4 – 28% of the export price of OPC and 3 – 55% of the price of Blended Cement. The DTI has identified 11 cement companies from Vietnam that will be targeted with the anti-dumping tariffs.

A report by the Tariff Commission found that 53% of the total cement imported from July 2019 to December 2020 comprised product originating from Vietnam at dumped prices. Overall the country’s OPC and Blended Cement imports rose by 11% year-on-year to 5.90Mt in 2020 and by 16.2% to 6.85Mt in 2021. Imports rose by a further 7% year-on-year to 3.50Mt in the first half of 2022 compared to an average of 3.27Mt for the same half-year periods in 2019, 2020 and 2021. The TC said, "The existence of threat of material injury to the domestic industry is imminent in the near future, as indicated by the significant rate of increase of dumped imports into the Philippines capturing substantial market share, presence of price undercutting, price depression and price suppression.”

Nigeria: The CDP has raised its rating for Dangote Cement to B from B- previously. The improved score indicates that the cement producer made continued efforts to mitigate the environmental impact of its business and has improved its sustainability reporting. It is the fourth time the company has submitted data to the CDP and the second consecutive year it has improved its rating.

Michel Puchercos, the chief executive officer of Dangote Cement, said, “The CDP rating upgrade clearly illustrates the growth we have achieved in our commitment to transparency on climate and environmental issues. This year, our Alternative Fuel Project has reached an advanced stage and aims to leverage waste management solutions and reduce CO₂ emissions. As of the first nine months of 2022, we co-processed 101,553t of waste representing a 77% increase over last year.”