Global Cement News

Pakistan/Afghanistan: Pakistan’s cement industry has urged the government to increase the customs duty on the import of clinker to support local manufacturers. It also wants a reduction in the cost of doing business in the country to encourage domestic sales. The industry stakeholders said that Pakistan has been losing ‘a major chunk’ of its market in Afghanistan to Iranian cement, due to its higher energy costs.

The costs of electricity and gas in Pakistan are reportedly the highest in the region, while additional duties on coal imports have nullified the lower cost of coal on the global markets. Locally, high government taxes have encouraged imports of under-invoiced Iranian cement imports, resulting in drop in domestic sales.

According to the latest data, domestic consumption has dropped by almost 14% over the past three years. The domestic cement dispatches in the first two months of the current fiscal year declined by 5.3% year-on-year. In the north, cement dispatches declined by 8.8% while in south zone they declined by 10.9%. In July 2018 the overall growth in the industry was 5.1%, while in August 2018 the overall decline was 8%.

The industry recommended that imports of cement should not be allowed until the importers register themselves with the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority to certify the quality of their cement.

India: UltraTech Cement has announced that it is joining EP100, a global leadership initiative that brings together a growing group of ‘energy-smart companies.’ The company said that becoming a member reaffirms UltraTech's commitment to driving sustainability across its value chain and accelerating business growth. By becoming a member of EP100, UltraTech has committed to double its energy productivity, a critical lever it to reduce the CO2 intensity of its operations. It will provide a strategic boost to UltraTech's low carbon growth target of reducing carbon intensity by 25% by 2021 against its 2005 baseline.

K K Maheshwari, Managing Director of UltraTech Cement said, “UltraTech Cement has always been at the forefront in adopting sustainable processes in its business operations. The company has some of the best performing plants on energy metrics across the world. As a responsible organisation, we realise the need for further substantial improvements in energy productivity. Our membership of EP100, we believe, will play a catalytic role in helping us accelerate towards doubling our energy productivity, which is a key strategic lever to achieve sustainable business growth.”

Helen Clarkson chief executive officer (CEO) of The Climate Group, said, ''It's hugely encouraging to see UltraTech, one of the leading cement producers globally, step up on energy efficiency. This is a win-win for emissions reduction and business growth. We need to see many more cement companies and other large energy users in hard-to-abate sectors follow UltraTech's lead.''

Founded by The Climate Group, EP100 constitutes companies that commit to using energy more productively. Energy productivity is a way of measuring energy efficiency that aligns directly with business growth and sustainable development goals.

Germany: Two workers have in died an accident at a construction site within the HeidelbergCement Schelklingen cement plant, when a 40m-high scaffold collapsed within a silo. Four others were involved, with one slightly injured. All six operatives had entered the silo from the top. Spokesperson Elke Schönig said that the scaffolding had become ‘staggered’ for unknown reasons and then partially collapsed. The incident will be investigated.

Democratic Republic of the Congo: The Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Jean Lucien Bussa Tongba has extended a measure restricting imports of grey cement, clinkers (and selected other commodities) in the western part of the country for 12 months, effective 3 September 2018.

The extension of this measure comes after an evaluation meeting with the Federation of Enterprises of Congo (FEC). It is part of the protection of local industries against smuggling, fraud and other illicit transactions that characterise imports of these products.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, offenders will be exposed to the law given the necessary provisions made for its application in all of its rigour. For its part, the FEC, in a letter addressed to the Minister of State for Commerce, thanked the government for safeguarding the industries of the country. The employers believe that this decision will contribute to the development of local industries and strengthen a frank collaboration between the Congolese government and the FEC.

Namibia: Ohorongo Cement officially inaugurated its 5MW photovoltaic solar plant this week at its head offices at Farm Sargber near Otavi in the Otjozondjupa Region.

Speaking at the opening, Tom Alweendo, Minister of Mines and Energy said that solar electricity generation had grown so exponentially in Namibia since the inception of the Renewable Energy Feed-In Tariff programme in 2014.