Global Cement News

Tajikistan: Tajikistan’s cement production rose by 39% year-on-year to 1.8Mt in the first half of 2018 from 1.3Mt in the same period in 2017. Of this total 0.7Mt was exported to neighbouring countries, principally Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, according to the Avesta news agency. The local cement industry is benefiting from government-backed infrastructure projects, a rise in domestic house building and a buoyant export market.

The country produced 3.1Mt of cement in 2017 and over 1Mt of this was exported. It has 13 cement producers with an estimated production capacity of 4Mt/yr. Local demand for cement is estimated to be 3 – 3.5Mt/yr.

China: The city of Tangshan ordered cement and steel plants to shut down for five days to prevent pollution. The directive followed a forecast of heavy smog in mid-July 2018, according to a source quoted by Reuters. Tangshan, an industrial city, is located in the northeast of Hebei province.

Nigeria: Ibeto Cement plans to hire China’s Sinoma to build two cement plants at Nkalagu and Effium respectively in Ebonyi State. The first plant will be built next to the former Nigerian Cement plant at Nkalagu, according to the Vanguard newspaper. It will have a production capacity of 9000t/day. The second plant, at Effium, will have a production capacity of 3000t/day, due to smaller local limestone deposits.

Ibeto Cement signed a deal with Milost Global to secure funding worth US$850m in May 2018. Previously, it entered into an agreement with Sinoma International Engineering in 2015 to build a new plant at Enugu.

Sudan: Fuel shortages and power cuts have reduced cement production by half. The Atbara Cement Plant reduced its production to 60,000t/month from 120,000t/month, according to Radio Dabanga. Production fell to 20,000t/month from 60,000t/month at Alsalam Cement, to 32,000t/month from 80,000t/month at El Takamol Cement, to 50,000t/month from 120,000t/month at North Cement and to 30,000t/month from 70,000t/month at Berber Cement. Parts of the country experienced fuel shortages in 2017 and this has continued in 2018, leading to problems far various industries.

India: Bharathi Cement plans to build new plants in Vizag and Mumbai. The new units are intended to meet market demand in the east and west of the country respectively, according to the Economic Times newspaper. The company hopes to raise its national market share to 5% from 4% at present with the new plants and from new products.