Global Cement News

Mexico: Cemex expects its Ventika wind power project in the northeastern state of Nuevo Leon to start operations between April and June 2016, according to Luis Farias Martinez, vice president of Energy and Sustainability. The construction of the project, which was initiated in the middle of 2014, is about half complete.

The Ventika project, comprised of two 126MW wind farms, is located some 128km from Nuevo Leon's capital city of Monterrey and approximately 56km from the US border. The project requires investments of a total US$650m, which will come from US investment company Fisterra Energy, majority owned by funds managed by Blackstone Group, Cemex and other private investors. The investments are structured as 75% debt and 25% capital investment, of which Cemex has provided 5%.

Martinez, who is also head of the newly-established Cemex Energia, added that the Ventika project, as well as all previous Cemex projects, are fully independent and are not included in Cemex Energia's plans to develop 1000MW renewable power projects in Mexico by 2020 in cooperation with Pattern Energy Group.

Pakistan: Lucky Cement Limited has reported a considerable rise in its net profit for the first six months of its 2015 financial year, which ended on 31 December 2014.

It net profit rose to US$54.9m, some 8.54% higher than in the same period of its 2014 financial year. Lucky Cement's gross profits increased by 9.03% during the period and its net sales revenue improved by 9.37% to US$210m, up from US$192m in its 2014 financial year.

Lucky Cement's local sales volume grew by 9.20% year-on-year to 2.02Mt, compared to 1.85Mt in the same period of its 2014 financial year. Its export sales volume grew by 2.24% to 1.23Mt compared to 1.21Mt in the same six months of its 2014 financial year. Lucky Cement maintained its market share at 19%. During the period, its combined sales revenue increased by 9.37%, which was mainly contributed to by increased sales volumes.

Bangladesh/Malawi: Germany's Loesche has been supporting the non-profit organisation Charity: Water. The first result of the engagement was a water well in Lutarupara-Molliktola, Bangladesh.

After more than a year's preparation, at the end of 2014 an additional well was completed in Chiphwafu village, Malawi. The drilled well allows the village community year-round access to clean drinking water that is free of pathogens and pollutants. Alongside the construction of the well, the people in the village were taught about safe and sustainable ways to use water. Of Malawi's 15.9 million inhabitants, around 3 million have no access to clean water and 92% have no access to sanitation facilities.

France/Germany: KORFEZ ENG has signed a contract with Italcementi for the supply of a new second compartment mill shell lining for one of its cement plants in France. The system is intended for a 3.8m diameter two-compartment raw mill. A total grinding compartment of 7250mm will be equipped with a combination of lifter and sorting liners. The design work will be carried out in the technical sales office in Neubeckum, North Rhine-Westphalia. Operation is expected to start in the summer of 2015.

KORFEZ ENG has also received an order from a building materials group in Germany for a dip tube cast lining system for its pre-heater, cyclone stage 2. The dip tubes will be executed as a locked hanging segment system tailor-fit to the existing dip tube. KORFEZ ENG determined the optimum material alloy for the application, which is being used for the first time. Manufacturing will be completed in about two months and delivery is planned for April 2015.

India: On day six of India's coal block auction, 20 February 2015, UltraTech Cement won the Bicharpur coal block in Maharashtra for a price of US$48.2/t. The block contains coal deposits of 29.1Mt. UltraTech's parent company, Aditya Birla Group, has already won three blocks so far in the on-going coal block allocation auctions.