Global Cement News

Honduras: Cementos Argos plans to spend US$20m on building a new cement grinding plant at Choloma. The unit will have a production capacity of 0.44Mt/yr. It will join the cement producer’s integrated plant in Comayagua and another grinding plant in San Lorenzo. The new grinding plant, loacted in the north of the country, is intended to integrate into Cementos Argos’ logistics network in the wider region. It will create 200 jobs.

Pakistan: The local cement industry has asked the government to increase the custom duty on imported clinker to support local production as export rates continue to decline. The industry has also recommended that cement importers should be registered with the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) and country of origin bodies, according to the Nation newspaper. Falling exports in Afghanistan have been blamed on Iranian competition and high local energy costs.

UK: CO₂ emissions from cement production fell by 2% year-on-year to 696kg/t in 2016 from 709kg/t in 2015. Data from the Mineral Products Association (MPA) Sustainable Development (SD) Summary Data for 2017 report shows that local cement sales rose by 3% to 10.5Mt from 10.2Mt at the same time. Alongside this waste and by-products recovered as raw materials and fuels by the cement industry fell by 6% to 1.5Mt from 1.6Mt.

“The MPA supports the industry's continuing commitment to measuring and reporting data and to transparency on performance. The reporting process is now evolving to reflect the 7 strategic priorities set out in the MPA Charter and as part of this process we will be working to further improve the quality and coverage of our sustainability data,” said Nigel Jackson, the chief executive of the MPA.

US: The Portland Cement Association (PCA) has backed President Donald Trump’s call for US$1.5tn to be invested in infrastructure. It has urged the US Congress to take ‘swift’ legislative action to fund and sustain such projects.

“America’s cement producers are proud to play a critical role in what the president so aptly described as our nation of builders,” said PCA President and chief executive officer (CEO) Michael Ireland. “Today, our industry is ready to help America both rebuild long-neglected infrastructure, and construct new-and-improved transportation networks capable of serving the nation long into the future.” He added that the cement industry also supported the need to address significant federal funding gaps including a shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund.

Saudi Arabia: Finland’s Wärtsilä has provided an update on a three-year asset management deal for Northern Region Cement’s (NRC) power plant at its Turaif plant signed in October 2017. Wärtsilä will continue to be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the power plant and to ensure the reliability and availability of its operations. This agreement is an extension of Wärtsilä’s previous service agreements for NRC’s power plant. The first service agreement with NRC was signed in 2008.

“We are proud to be able to continue our 10-year cooperation with NRC. By having full responsibility for the operation and maintenance of NRC’s power plant, we have been able to ensure reliable operations, optimised fuel consumption and reduced maintenance costs for NRC,” said Haidar al Hertani, managing director, Wärtsilä Saudi Arabia.

The agreement covers all aspects of operating and maintaining NRC’s power plant, including the day-to-day operation of the power plant as well as preventive and predictive maintenance. Wärtsilä’s Customer Centre in Dubai remotely monitors the power plant’s condition. Wärtsilä has also carried out electrical and automation services to improve the performance and extend the lifespan of NRC’s power plant.

The 62MW power plant is equipped with nine Wärtsilä 32 engines and provides energy for NRC’s Turaif cement plant. The cement plant has two production lines, producing nearly 10,000t/day of cement.