Global Cement News

Russia: Cemix, a subsidiary of the Austrian firm Lasselsberger, has launched its new 0.24Mt white cement plant at Bashkiria, near Magnitogorsk in Chelyabinsk Oblast. President Vladimir Putin attended the ceremony. The building materials producer plans to distribute its products nationally from terminals at Lukhovitsy in Moscow Oblast and Afipsky in Krasnodar Krai. The company is a subsidiary of Austria-based Lasselsberger.

Germany: Holcim Deutschland says it has joined Madaster, an online registry for materials and products. Under the scheme, buildings are registered, including the materials and products that were used in their construction. This is intended to make the reuse or recycling of the materials easier, to encourage ‘smart’ design and to eliminate waste. Thorsten Hahn, the chief executive officer of Holcim Deutschland said “The use of alternative raw materials and the closing of product cycles are among the greatest challenges in the construction industry. We owe it to future generations to use the resources that are available to us responsibly and sensibly.”

Colombia: Argos North America has taken out a US$300m loan where the interest rate is linked to CO₂ emission reduction indicators and the increase in the percentage of women in leadership positions. It will be used to prepay an existing syndicated loan. The loan has been taken out from BNP Paribas Securities, Natixis, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and the Bank of Nova Scotia. This loan is the first linked to environmental, social and corporate governance performance that Argos has signed with international banks.

Saudi Arabia: Qassim Cement plans to build a new 10,000t/day production line at its Buraydah cement plant to replace some of the site’s existing lines. Construction will begin in the first half of 2022. The company will announce the cost of the project after completing preliminary studies.

China: China Resources Cement recorded a consolidated turnover of US$2.59bn in the first half of 2021, up by 19% year-on-year from US$2.17bn in the first half of 2020. Cement and clinker sales volumes increased by 16% to 41.6Mt and 30% to 7.04Mm³ respectively. Its profit attributable to owners of the company rose by 13% to US$467m from US$538m. Its capital expenditure (CAPEX) for the half totalled US$159m. It plans to spend US$540m in the full year in 2021.