Global Cement News

Belgium: Etex has joined the First Movers Coalition to help reduce carbon emissions related to cement production. The coalition seeks to explore options to reduce the carbon footprint of cement used in the building and construction industry by as much as 80% compared to the 2021 US emissions baseline. Etex wants to contribute to worldwide advanced research and development developments in the field of cement. Once developed, Etex and other players will help the new technologies gain ground by buying at least 10% near-zero cement per year of their total cement volume by 2030. The plan follows Etex’s 2030 decarbonisation target reduce greenhouse gas emissions (intensity of scopes 1 and 2) by 35% compared to 2018.

Etex is a light buildings materials manufacturer with products such as gypsum wallboard, insulation, building systems, cladding and fibre cement boards.

China/Uzbekistan: Anhui Conch has released an update on some of its major development projects. Its new plant at Tashkent in Uzbekistan has an investment of around US$260m. The company reports that 30,000m² of equipment and materials have arrived, the rotary kiln supporting wheels have been hoisted in place, the main body installation of the coal mill has been completed, the structure of the dormitory building has been capped and the main factory area has begun to take shape. It is also building a plant at Brakbash District in Andijan State. Civil engineering and main engineering construction are reportedly underway. The company also has a third cement plant in the country. So far the group has built over 10 cement plants outside of China.

In China, Anhui Conch is building a CO₂ energy storage demonstration project at its Baimashan cement plant in Wuhu, Anhui province. The group says that, once complete, the project will be the world's first commercial demonstration project of a CO₂ energy storage system. It says that during the low power consumption period, the excess power will be used to compress CO₂ at normal temperature and pressure into a liquid. The heat energy generated during the compression process will be stored. The stored heat energy will then be used to heat the liquid CO₂ back into a gas, driving the turbine to generate electricity, reducing the cost of electricity. The demonstration project has an area of 40,000m².

The cement producer says it is working towards a model of ‘one base and five industries’ where cement production links to other industries such as new energy, new materials, environmental protection, the digital economy and the promotion of international trade.

Ireland: CRH recorded consolidated sales of US$32.7bn in 2022, up by 12% year-on-year from US$29.2bn in 2021. The producer's Americas Materials business reported sales of US$14.3bn, up by 15% US$12.4bn. Across the Americas, its cement revenues grew by 8% year-on-year. A 12% regional price rise offset a decline in the business' cement sales volumes. CRH's Europe Materials business reported sales of US$10.6bn, in line with 2021 levels. Its cement revenues were US$2.04bn across the region.

Chief executive officer Albert Manifold said "Our 2022 performance reflects the outstanding commitment of our people, the underlying strength and resilience of our business and the continued delivery of our integrated, solutions-focused strategy. Despite significant cost pressures throughout the year, we delivered further improvements in profits, margins and returns. Our strong cash generation together with our relentless focus on disciplined capital allocation has also delivered the strongest balance sheet in our history, providing us with significant opportunities for further growth and value creation going forward."

Portugal: Secil says that it will commission its Outão cement plant's new line, called a Clean Cement Line, in mid-2023. The line will produce Portland limestone cement (PLC).

Jornal de Negócios News has reported that this will increase the producer's consumption of limestone, for which its already partly relies on imports. Secil has submitted an application to expand its limestone mines, entitled New Quarry Plan, to the Portuguese Environment Agency. Under the plan, Secil will connect it Vale de Mós A and Vale de Mós B quarries. It will thereby secure sufficient supply to become entirely reliant on mined limestone in its cement production. The plans also leave a 27 hectare 'plateau' at the site, which will be available for other uses.

Pakistan: Thatta Cement produced 211,000t of cement during the first half of 2023 financial year, up by 3.7% year-on-year from 204,000t during the first half of 2022 financial year. Its clinker production rose by 55% to 190,000t from 122,000t. The producer despatched 215,000t of cement, up by 4.7% year-on-year from 205,000t. Its despatches of clinker fell to 0t from 4990t.

Thatta Cement said "During the period under review, persistent political instability and indecisive monetary measures have left the business to face gross challenges. Recent floods brought on by extremely strong monsoon rains have damaged the national infrastructure and created a food crisis. The catastrophic flood has killed thousands of people, besides flooding one-third of the country. This has further compounded the agony of an economy which has already been struggling for its survival due to ever increasing current account deficit, sharply rising inflation rate and massive rupee devaluation."