Global Cement News

Gabon: The Gabonese government and Ciments d'Afrique (Cimaf Gabon) have signed an investment agreement for the construction of a third cement production line. The US$41.1m project will increase Cimaf Gabon's cement production capacity by 1Mt/yr to 1.85Mt/yr.

Cimaf Gabon also holds a permit to exploit a major limestone deposit around Ntoum and will build a clinker production unit in the area, requiring more than US$148m in investment.

Cimaf Gabon’s general director Janah Idrissi El Mehdi said “This plant, located a stone's throw from Ntoum in the Estuaire province, will bring significant benefits to the entire region, particularly in terms of job creation (1400 in the project phase and 500 in the operational phase). It will contribute to improving the living conditions of the surrounding populations.”

South Africa: Cement producer PPC and independent power producer Yellow Door Energy (YDE) have signed a 24.5MWp solar power purchase agreement. The project will operate under a solar wheeling arrangement, delivering electricity from YDE’s Leeudoringstad solar park to PPC’s Slurry, Dwaalboom, De Hoek and Riebeek operations via the Eskom grid.

YDE will install over 20,000 panels, generating 57.5 million kW in the first year of operation and offsetting 59,800t of CO₂. The project includes a new 43km overhead electrical line connecting the solar park to the Eskom substation.

Nepal: Hetauda Cement Industry will restart production in the first week of April 2025 after completing machinery maintenance, securing raw materials and reaching agreement with employees, according to local news reports. The state-owned plant halted production on 1 October 2024. It has a capacity of 16,000 bags/day.

Acting general manager Nabin Kumar Karna said “It took some time to repair the machinery as it was old and damaged. The machines were installed when the industry was first established in 1977, and replacing them immediately was not possible due to financial constraints. Currently, we have about 100t of coal in stock, and more is expected to arrive starting tomorrow, so the raw material supply is not a major concern.”

Karna said that the electricity issues the company had previously faced had been resolved, and the Nepal Electricity Authority were ‘committed’ to providing a regular electricity supply.

Pakistan: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) government will replace ore-based royalties on cement with a 6% royalty on the ex-factory price.

The proposed change will raise costs for producers and follows a similar royalty imposed by the Punjab government in August 2024. Analysts said that manufacturers would need to raise cement prices significantly to offset the impact of the increased royalty.

South Korea: Domestic cement sales fell by 25% year-on-year to 4.45Mt in the first two months of 2025, according to the Korea Cement Association. This is reportedly the lowest number recorded for domestic sales in January-February in the past five years. Sales during the same period in 2020–2022 exceeded 6Mt, and in 2023 reached 7.12Mt due to delayed post-Covid construction.

Producers have suspended eight of 35 production lines and may halt two more due to high inventories, which reached 3.4Mt at the end of February 2025, close to 90% of storage capacity.

A Korea Cement Association official said “Unless the construction economy recovers, the management crisis in the cement industry caused by the severe drop in demand will continue for the time being.”