Global Cement News

China: Anhui Conch has spent over US$7.9m on a 50,000t CO₂ capture and purification pilot project at its Baimashan cement plant in Anhui province. The unit is scheduled to start operation in the first half of 2018. The group has started the project in order to participate in the government’s ‘Intended Nationally Determined Contributions’ CO₂ emission reduction initiative.

Philippines: Phinma Group has returned to the cement industry bringing its ‘Union Cement’ brand back to the market. Its cement production subsidiary, Philcement, is also building a new 2Mt/yr cement plant in Bataan, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper. The new plant is expected to be operational in early 2019. No cost for the plant has been disclosed.

Phinma sold its majority interest in Union Cement in 2004 and the business eventually became part of Switerland’s Holcim. However, Phinma subsequently required the Union Cement trademark after Holcim Philippines abandoned it.

The cement producer’s head is Eduardo Sahagun, the former boss of Holcim Philippines from 2013 to 2017. At present Philcement is distributing cement from third parties.

Niger: Nouvelle Cimenterie de Niger (NCN) plans to start operation at its new US$90m integrated cement plant at Malbaza. Minister of Industry M Mallam Zaneidou Amirou visited the site to assess its progress, according to the Niger Inter Media Group. Work on the unit started in mid-2011 but was subsequently abandoned.

Egypt: Titan Cement Egypt is planning to spend US$8m towards building a 8MW solar power plant next to its Beni Suef cement plant. Surplus energy from the unit will be sold to the national grid, according to the Al Borsa newspaper. The project is at the bidding stage with contractors but the cement producer is believed to be in ‘advanced talks’ KarmSolar.

US: Cemex has settled a lawsuit that accused it of discharging polluted storm water runoff from its West Sacramento cement terminal in California into the Sacramento River. The cement producer has agreed to implement an infiltration basin to treat runoff from its unit, according to the Sacramento Business Journal newspaper. It will also make a donation of US$40,000 in grants to environmental projects in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and pay the legal fees of the plaintiff, the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance. The alliance had originally sought US$88m from Cemex.