Global Cement News

US: Bagged concrete and cement mixes producer Quikrete has submitted an acquisition offer to cement, concrete and aggregates company Summit Materials. Summit Materials is reportedly valued at over US$7bn. The company confirmed to Reuters that its board is in initial discussions over a non-binding acquisition proposal.

Summit Materials combined its business with Cementos Argos subsidiary Argos USA in January 2024.

US: California-based climate technology startup Furno Materials has been awarded US$20m by the US Department of Energy (DOE) for a new ‘low-carbon’ cement production facility in Chicago. The facility will use recycled industrial byproducts to produce cement, with the aim to reduce carbon emissions ‘significantly’, according to the Chicago Business Journal. This investment is part of a broader DOE initiative that is funding 14 projects totalling US$428m, in order to address clean-energy supply chains and boost US manufacturing. The project is expected to create 80 jobs.

France: Holcim has been awarded a new grant from the EU Innovation Fund for its ‘CarboClearTech’ carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) project in Martres-Tolosane, France. This support marks Holcim's seventh large-scale EU-backed CCUS project. The value of the funding was not disclosed by the company.

Lithuania: Recycling company Ekobāze is set to construct a plastic byproducts and solid recovered fuel (SRF) processing complex in the Akmenė Free Economic Zone. The project is valued at about €12m and received €10m in EU financing, according to BNS News. It will create 60 new jobs. The complex will supply SRF to Akmenės Cementas, the sole cement producer in Lithuania, utilising post-consumer plastic unsuitable for recycling in its production processes. Ekobāze will process other plastic into pellets. Construction will begin at the end of 2025, with production starting in early 2027.

Pakistan: Lucky Cement has commissioned a 28.8MW captive wind power project at its Karachi plant, which started operations on 22 October 2024. This reportedly makes Lucky Cement the first company in Pakistan to launch a renewable energy project of this scale, according to The News International. Lucky Cement now generates 55% of its total power consumption from renewable sources.