Global Cement News

Bolivia: Empresa Publica Productiva Cementos de Bolivia (ECEBOL)'s upcoming 1.3Mt/yr Potosí cement plant is 91% completed and will commence cement production during the first quarter of 2023, according to the Bolivian government. When operational, the plant will produce up to 3000t/day of clinker and employ 2200 people directly and indirectly.

India: Star Cement generated US$156m in total income during the first half of the 2023 financial year, up by 36% year-on-year from US$114m during the first half of the 2022 financial year. The producer's net profit dropped by 16% year-on-year to US$8m from US$9.51m.

Europe: The Carbon Negative Biofuels from Organic Waste (Carbiow) project has received EU funding under the Horizon Europe initiative. Carbiow seeks to develop a dense, dry homogenous marine and aviation biofuel by carbonising gasification ash with oxygen and captured CO₂ from cement plants. 12 consortium members from the Benelux, Germany, Nordic countries, Slovenia and Spain are participating in the project.

India: JK Cement recorded US$536m in standalone income during the first half of its 2023 financial year, up by 26% year-on-year from US$427m. Throughout the period, the producer's profit after tax declined by 19%, to US$37.7m from US$46.4m. Also on a standalone basis, the company reported total expenses of US$482m, up by 31% year-on-year from US$368m. JK Cement's consolidated income rose by 23% to US$558m, while the group's expenses rose by 30% to US$509m, resulting in a 20% consolidated net profit drop to US$33.5m.

Sri Lanka: Tokyo Cement's consolidated sales rose by 34% year-on-year to US$82.8m during the first half of its 2023 financial year. Its cost of sales rose by less than 1% to US$50.8m. As such, the company recorded a profit for the period of US$10.1m, up by more than a factor of eight from first-half 2022 financial year levels.