Global Cement News

US: The California Senate has voted in favour of a proposed bill which will require the State Air Resources Board to develop a plan for the state’s cement producers to achieve net zero emissions of greenhouse gases by the end of 2045. A 40% reduction compared to 2019 levels would also be mandated by the end of 2035. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NDRC), an environmental advocacy group that is sponsoring the bill, has called for measures such as requiring public construction projects to use reduced-CO₂ cement and establishing purely performance-based specifications for legally defining cement to be adopted by the eventual strategy if the bill passes into state law. The proposed bill will next move to the California State Assembly as part of the local legislative process.

US: The state Land Use Commission of Hawaii has approved Hawaiian Cement’s licence application for expanded operations at Pohokea quarry in Wiakapu until 2035. The Maui News newspaper has reported that the commission has ordered the producer to hold consultations with the US Department of Land and Natural Resources with regards to the management of possible impacts on yellow-faced bees. The insects were declared an endangered species in 2016. The bees’ welfare formed the basis of a challenge by the conservationist Sierra Club Maui against the licence extension.

France: Social housing association Podeliha has awarded a cement supply partnership to Hoffman Green Cement Technologies. The subsidiary of Action Logement group operates in the Pays de la Loire region.

Managing directors Julien Blanchard and David Hoffmann said, “We are delighted with the signing of this partnership which is beneficial both for the current commercial dynamic of Hoffmann Green Cement and more generally for the development of low carbon solutions in the construction sector in the Pays de la Loire region. Podeliha is a benchmark leader in social housing in Pays de la Loire. The promotion of low carbon footprint cements without clinker among many players in the construction and ecosystem of Podeliha is a strong support for the development of Hoffmann Green in its region. This convention also proves that it is possible to reconcile social housing and high environmental performance in the construction sector.”

India: JSW Cement has launched its first commercial ready-mix concrete plant at Chembur in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The plant has a capacity of 120m3/hr across two production lines. It will serve construction in south and central Mumbai. The technology for the plant was supplied by Germany-based Schwing Stetter. The company plans to establish three further batching plants in Mumbai, covering Navi Mumbai, Thane and western Mumbai.

“JSW Concrete was successfully piloted at our captive plants at Dolvi and Vijaynagar and used in the expansion projects of JSW Steel. The experience gained from these projects gave us enough confidence to offer this unique concrete product to our large project customers,” said TN Viswanathan, Vice President of JSW Cement.

Poland: Switzerland-based LafargeHolcim subsidiary Lafarge Polska has launched Aggneo, a recycled aggregate recycled from demolition-sourced concrete. The producer says that Aggneo offers high consistency and a lower density than mined aggregates, resulting in material savings. Besides reducing waste, the product also lowers the carbon footprint of delivery by 66%, according to the company. The building materials producer aims to manufacture 1Mt/yr of recycled aggregated by 2030.