Global Cement News

Canada: A provincial offences court has fined Heidelberg Materials Canada US$142,000 for ‘failing to take every precaution reasonable in circumstances under which three contractors were injured at its Picton cement plant. The workers were reportedly injured in a flash fire while replacing the plant’s jet air blower, after company engineers mistakenly overrode digital signals on both open valves between the gas supply and the area where the repair was taking place.

Greece: The EU Innovation Fund has awarded a Euro234m grant to Titan Group for its IFESTOS carbon capture and storage (CCS) project. Titan Group said that the project, the largest initiative of its kind in Europe, marks a ‘monumental leap forward’ in its decarbonisation journey. The company hopes that the project will help to promote the deployment of carbon capture technology in Greece and beyond.

IFESTOS director and project leader Aris Tsikouras said “This agreement solidifies our group’s role as leaders in driving transformative change in industrial decarbonisation across Europe. IFESTOS encapsulates our commitment to sustainability and innovation, forging a path toward a cleaner, greener and more resilient future for the industry, in line with EU climate policy.”

Switzerland/UAE: The COP28 UAE Presidency named École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) among its Energy Transition Changemakers in the Heavy Emitting Sectors category. EPFL won the prize for its LC3 limestone calcined clay cement, which replaces 50% of clinker content with calcined kaolinite clay and limestone. LC3 cement reduces CO₂ emissions by 40% compared to ordinary Portland cement (OPC), and is a readily available solution that can be scaled worldwide. EPFL noted the special importance of LC3 cement for CO₂ reduction efforts in developing countries, and sees it as having the potential to eliminate 500Mt/yr of global CO₂ emissions by 2030. In a post to LinkedIn, the LC3 Project said that nine plants around the world currently produce LC3 cement, with a further 20 planned before 2025.

Malaysia: Hume Cement Industries has issued medium-term notes worth US$21.4m, which it said were fully redeemed on 18 December 2023. InPR News has reported that the issuance is the first part of a US$107m programme.

Azerbaijan: Holcim Azerbaijan plans to build a 2000t-capacity cement terminal in the Araz Valley Economic Zone in Jabrayil. AzerNews has reported that Holcim Azerbaijan will build the terminal in phases, commencing in 2024. The producer’s offering in the local market includes its ECOPlanet Inshaatchi and ECOPlanet Optimal reduced-CO₂ cements. In a later phase, it will install a dry adhesive and ready-mix concrete batching plant at the facility. Planned investments at the site total US$2m.

Commercial director Sergiu Stoicov said "We aim to bring new methods to help the construction industry build sustainably. Through Inshaatchi and Optimal, we are taking a step in the race for CO₂ reduction and the use of alternative raw materials. Holcim Azerbaijan is the first company in the Caucasus to offer green cement.”

Azerbaijan produced 3.42Mt of cement throughout the first 11 months of 2023. This represents a 4.1% year-on-year rise from 11-month 2022 levels. Meanwhile, clinker production rose by 10% year-on-year to 3.51Mt.