Uzbekistan: The President of Uzbekistan signed in a law change on 1 March 2022 permitting legal entities to export cement on the basis of direct contracts. The change also applies to clinker. Under the current law, all exporters can claim up to 50% of transport costs for subsidisation by the Export Promotion Agency of Uzbekistan.

India: Wonder Cement says that its Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, cement plant’s electricity consumption fell by 1.8GWh year-on-year in 2021. It attributed the reduction to its use of an ACS880 slip power recovery system (SPRS) supplied by ABB India.

ABB India’s Motion business president Sanjeev Arora said “This project puts forth how we are one of the most trusted partners for customers when it comes to energy efficiency. He said that the company ‘has constantly promoted technologies that help in driving country’s carbon-neutral future,’ concluding “Our solutions are aiding businesses across India to cut energy expenses and decarbonise their operations.”

Ukraine/Ireland: CRH says that it is monitoring the on-going Ukrainian invasion crisis as it impacts its employees, assets and the continuity of its operations in the country. The Irish Times newspaper has reported that the company has developed contingency plans, which it will deploy as necessary.

CRH’s Cemark subsidiary employs 800 people in Ukraine, where it has operated since 1999.

Belarus: The Belarusian Universal Commodity Exchange says that it expects to auction 1.5Mt of cement in 2022. BELTA News has reported that the figure corresponds to 50% of the annual production of Belarusian Cement Company.