Fiji: The Department of Environment has issued a Stop Work Notice to Pacific Cement’s Lami plant due to complaints about dust emissions. The notice was issued following a visit by Sandeep Singh, the Director of Environment, to the unit, according to the Fiji Sun newspaper. The work orders are normally temporary to give industries time to implement mitigation measures.

Nouzab Fareed, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Pacific Cement’s parent company Fijian Holdings, acknowledged that the plant emitted dust ‘sometimes.’ However, he pointed out that the site imports over 0.1Mt/yr of clinker and that this comes from another plant.

Vietnam: Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved an upgrade to the Long Son cement plant in Thanh Hoa province. The plant will have two new production lines with a total production capacity of 2.3Mt/yr, according to the Viet Nam News newspaper. The new lines will also include waste treatment systems. Line 3 is expected to begin operation in 2020 and line 4 in 2021. The Ministry of Construction has been assigned to work with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the provincial People’s Committee to supervise the project.

Nigeria: Four workers of Dangote Cement have faced criminal charges at the Ogun State High Court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for an alleged US$40,000 fraud. Adewale Dalmeida, Ibrahim Lawal, Afeez Olaniba and Lukman Adam were arraigned before the court on two counts of conspiracy and stealing, according to the Punch newspaper. The defendants allegedly diverted nine cement trucks, which were meant to be delivered to Togo. The EFCC alleges that the individuals used fake identity cards and truck number plates to carry out the misdemeanour. The defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges. The case will now go to trial.

India: The board of directors of Sagar Cements has approved investments in new cement plants in Madhya Pradesh and Odisha. It plans to invest US$21m in Satguru Cement towards building a new 1Mt/yr plant at Indore in Madhya Pradesh. The project will also include a waste heat recovery unit. The total cost of the project is US$60m. Sagar Cements will hold a 65% equity share in Satguru Cement upon completion.

In Odisha the company has approved an investment of US$15m in Jajpur Cements in Jajpur. This project will build a new 1.5Mt/yr cement plant. The project has a total budget of US$43m. It is subject to approval by the Government of Odisha and other regulatory authorities as required.