Global Cement News

India: The Odisha State Level Single Window Clearance Authority (SLSWCA) has approved two cement and slag grinding plant projects in Odisha. It has granted JSW Cement permission for an upgrade to its upcoming 1.2Mt/yr Kalinga Nagar, Odisha slag cement grinding plant that will increase the finished plant’s capacity to 2.4Mt/yr at an additional investment cost of US$359,000. JSW Cement restarted work on the facility, which will grind Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), in September 2018 after suspending the project due to leasing issues in 2016.

Sagar Cements subsidiary Jajpur Cements has also received clearance from the SLSWCA for the construction of a 1.5Mt/yr grinding plant on the site of the existing 0.5Mt/yr Jajpur Cements grinding plant in the Kalinga Nagar Industrial Complex in Jajpur District, Odisha. The project, valued by the company at US$44m, is scheduled for completion in March 2021. Sagar Cements acquired Jajpur Cements on 7 May 2019 for US$16m.

Colombia: Argos has supplied 220,000t of cement and 765,000m³ of ready-mixed concrete to the site of the 8500m-long Túnel de La Línea road tunnel in Quindío and Tolima Departments.

Colombia regional vice president Tomás Restrepo said, “We are proud to have participated as allies in the construction of this mega-work that represents a great milestone for the infrastructure of our country and Latin America. This was a project that represented great logistical and technical challenges that Argos has faced with commitment. We are sure that this strategic work of interconnection will contribute enormously to the progress of Colombia and its people. This reflects our high purpose to continue contributing to the construction of dreams that drive development and transform lives"

Czech Republic: Domestic cement production was 4.57Mt in 2019, up by 3.2% year-on-year from 4.43Mt in 2018. CTK Business News has reported a corresponding increase in domestic sales, up by 1.5% to 3.84Mt from 3.78Mt, and exports, up by 1.9% to 761,000t from 747,000t. Slovakia received 380,000t (50%), Germany received 221,000t (29%), Austria received 114,000t (15%) and Poland received 68,500t (9%). Imports fell by 15% to 490,000t, of which Slovakia supplied 245,000t (50%), Poland supplied 122,000t (25%), Germany supplied 98,000t (20%) and Austria supplied 39,200t (8%).

India: GM Iron & Steel Company Limited has published plans for the construction of a 0.4Mt/yr slag cement grinding plant in Dhenkanal, Odisha. United News of India has reported that the plant is part of an upcoming construction materials complex, including a 46MW captive power plant, that will cost US$82.7m, according to the company.

Germany: Schenck Process has launched CONiQ Control, a control and automation system “with many options for use in industrial measuring, weighing and automation technology in the cement industry,” according to the company. It says that the product “standardises the use of a common controller platform for a wide variety of processes” through a Reddot Intuitive Design Award 2019-winning web-based interface.