Global Cement News

US: The supervisor of Santa Clara County in California has ordered a report by the county council setting out a plan for the acquisition of Lehigh Hanson’s Santa Clara cement plant and its associated quarry. If successful in acquiring the property, the administration would close down all operations there. The Mercury News has reported that the council will have until mid-May 2022 to produce its report. The supervisor called the facilities a ‘historical anachronism’ and said that the land, situated in the county’s Silicon Valley light industry region, might be used for housing.

Spain: Cementos Molins has committed to a 20% reduction in its CO₂ emissions between 2020 and 2030. The company has set out its strategy in its 2030 Sustainability Roadmap. The roadmap covers five areas: health and safety, energy and climate change, the circular economy, nature and the environment, and corporate social responsibility. Thus, Cementos Molins aims to achieve an accident-free workplace, to source 55% of its electricity consumption renewably, to increase its alternative fuel (AF) substitution rate to 40% and reduce its cement’s clinker factor to 68%, to halve particulate matter emissions and cut nitrous oxides (NO_x) and sulphur oxides (SO_x) emissions by 40% and 10% respectively and to have signed official agreements with all host communities and employ women in over 23% of management positions.

Chief executive officer Julio Rodríguez said “Sustainability is the cornerstone of our strategy here at Cementos Molins, and today we are delighted to announce the specific targets that we have set out in our 2030 Sustainability Roadmap. The targets and their corresponding action plans - the result of the hard work and dedication of the Cementos Molins team, together with our stakeholders – will help drive our company forward in actively tackling climate change.” He added “We are deeply committed to achieving zero emissions and building a better world for everyone.”

Colombia: Cementos Argos has successfully commissioned its new cement terminal in Bolívar Department’s Cartagena Free Zone. Semana News has reported that the terminal will export cement to the Caribbean, Central America and the US. It triples Cementos Argos’ cement export capacity to 3.5Mt/yr.

Russia: Eurocement has completed a Euro3.3m maintenance project on the kiln at its Mordovcement plant in Chamzinsky District. The wet-process kiln was reconstructed as part of a large-scale modernisation program. Work conducted included replacement casing bandages, roller supports, the kiln chain curtain and the welding of cracks along the kiln shell. The project included a major relining of refractory material with magnesia bricks produced by the Magnezit Group and aluminosilicate refractory bricks produced by BKO. Maintenance work was also carried out on the plant’s FLSmidth Cross-Bar cooler.

Russia: Siberian Cement’s chair Oleg Sharykin has signed an agreement with the Sergey Tsivilev, the Governor of Kuzbass, to build a lime plant in the Kuzbass Special Economic Zone. The Euro23m project will create a 0.2Mt/yr lime plant with two kilns. The unit will use the Solominskoye limestone deposit, which is being developed by Topkinsky Cement, a subsidiary of Siberian Cement. Around 70 jobs are expected to be created. Russian lime production was reported at around 11Mt/yr from 2014 to 2020.