Global Cement News

Pakistan: Shariq Siddiqui, chief executive officer (CEO) of Pakistan International Bulk Terminal (PIBT), forecasts that coal imports for cement producers will rise to 10Mt/yr in 2020 from 8Mt/yr at present. This growth will be driven by new cement production capacity that is being commissioned, according to the News International newspaper. Overall, total coal imports are expected to grow to 30Mt/yr in 2020 driven by new coal-fired power stations.

Iran: Jafar Sarqeini, the Deputy Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade for Mining Affairs, says that US-backed trade sanctions have not slowed cement exports. He added that the embargo has only placed some obstacles in the way of financial transactions and return of money to the country, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency. The official said that the local industry can export up to 20Mt/yr of cement. Local production capacity is forecast to reach 120Mt/yr by 2025. However, a recession in the mining sector has kept production behind capacity.

Sri Lanka: Insee Group has signed a memorandum of understanding with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to protect limestone hills in the company’s quarrying sites in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam.
The ultimate goal of the partnership is to turn the limestone quarrying sites into forests through rehabilitation programmes.

In Sri Lanka, the agreement is intended to strengthen Insee Cement’s capacity to rescue and release threatened wildlife, prepare mine restoration guidelines and carry out annual ecological monitoring of restored mines in Insee Cement’s quarry sites in Aruwakkalu and Puttalam.

“In Sri Lanka we have worked with IUCN since 2007 to ensure conservation in quarry sites, as the partnership is focused on delivering practical solutions which protect Sri Lankan ecosystem. We take pride in meeting the expectations of our local stakeholders and join hands with our group and OpCo’s on the dedicated commitment to enhance forestry and quarry management in Asia,” said Nandana Ekanayak, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Insee Cement.

India: UltraTech Cement and local truck companies have ended a dispute over the size of payloads in Himachal Pradesh after mediation from the state government. The disagreement over increasing the size of truckloads to 12t started in late December 2018, according to the United News of India agency.

US: Charah Solutions has installed its MP618 thermal beneficiation technology at its terminal in Sulphur, Louisiana. The upgrade is intended to improve the quality of fly ash and to increase its supply of marketable fly ash to concrete producers. The proprietary process reduces loss on ignition, ammonia, activated carbon and moisture in fly ash.

The company hopes to provides concrete product producers and builders with a source of Class F fly ash to support a growing number of construction projects in the greater Lake Charles and Sulphur region. The Sulphur terminal is Charah Solutions’ second barge-supplied location in southern Louisiana. Its LaPlace, Louisiana terminal currently serves customers in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.