Armenia: The Ararat Cement Plant will soon be taken into public ownership, according to the country’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in comments made ahead of Armenia’s parliamentary elections on 7 June 2026. The 0.9Mt/yr plant is owned by Gagik Tsarukyan, leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), the country’s largest opposition party.

The Prime Minister said that the nationalisation was in response to the ‘uncovering’ of what he called ‘mafia schemes’ operated by Tsarukyan’s son-in-law Karapet Guloyan, saying "Very soon, the business backbone of PAP leader Tsarukyan, the Ararat Cement Plant, will become state-owned and will belong to the Republic of Armenia, because the mafia scheme of Guloyan has been exposed.”

Pashinyan said that the government has already received a letter from the prosecutor's office stating that this property is subject to nationalisation. The authorities will shortly appoint a manager for Ararat Cement.

"I congratulate all the employees of the Ararat Cement Plant on their release,” said the Prime Minister. “From this moment on, they no longer need to follow any instructions from Tsarukyan or Guloyan, because their employer is now the Republic of Armenia.”

The move to nationalise Ararat Cement follows a similar situation with electricity distribution licences owned by Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA), which was taken into public hands in November 2025.

India: Oyster Renewable Energy and Dalmia Cement (Bharat) have announced a plan to set up a 31.6MW hybrid renewable energy project in Kadapa District, Andhra Pradesh. Costing around US$28m, the project integrates 21.6MW of wind and 10MW of solar capacity, according to a statement. Dalmia Cement said that the project will ensure a more stable and balanced renewable energy profile for the company, with commissioning expected in 2027.

“This 31.6 MW hybrid power project will reduce CO₂ emissions by nearly 70,000t/yr, directly strengthening our plant-level carbon efficiency and sustainability metrics,” said Dharmender Tuteja, Chief Financial Officer of Dalmia Cement (Bharat)’s parent company Dalmia Bharat.

The company added that the project will incorporate local workforce participation and regional supply chain engagement, to ensure that its investment in clean energy infrastructure will also generate lasting economic value for rural communities.

US: Eagle Materials Inc has reported a ‘record’ revenue of US$2.3bn in its 2026 Fiscal Year (FY2026), the 12 months to 31 March 2026. The revenue was 2% higher than in FY2025. However, its net earnings fell by 9% year-on-year to US$424m, while its adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) was US$775m, a fall of 5%.

Commenting on the annual results, Michael Haack, Eagle Materials’ President and CEO, said "Amid geopolitical uncertainty and ongoing fiscal and trade policy disruptions, our combined businesses delivered strong financial, operational and strategic performance in FY2026. We generated record revenue of US$2.3bn, a gross profit margin of 28.3%, and operating cash flow of US$614m.”

Revenue across FY2026 in Eagle Materials’ Heavy Materials sector, which includes cement, concrete and aggregates, as well as joint venture and inter-segment cement revenues, rose by 10% to US$1.6bn. Its annual operating earnings also increased by 10%, to US$341m. Both increases were due primarily to higher cement and aggregates sales volumes, as well as new contributions from the aggregates businesses in Western Pennsylvania and Northern Kentucky that had been acquired during FY2025.

The company’s cement sales volumes rose by 8%, supported by continued growth in public construction activity and large private non-residential projects. The company upgraded its cement plant in Laramie, Wyoming during FY2026 and stated that its modernisation of Mountain Cement is now 60% complete. Commissioning of this project is expected later in 2026.

Zimbabwe: PPC has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Sinoma Overseas Development to collaborate on efficiency improvements and expansion of its cement and clinker production capacity in Zimbabwe. The agreement provides for the two companies to work together on initiatives to enhance operational efficiencies at PPC Zimbabwe, while also assessing the feasibility of constructing a new integrated cement plant in the country.

PPC’s CEO Matias Cardarelli said the agreement marked an important milestone in the group’s broader turnaround strategy. “Our ‘Awakening the Giant’ turnaround strategy continues to advance across the group,” said Carderelli. “This includes particularly the Zimbabwean operations, where we believe there are additional and significant opportunities to be unlocked internally, together with exciting potential for future growth.” He added that Zimbabwe remained a strategically important market for PPC due to its growth prospects and strengthening construction sector activity.

PPC said any future investment projects in Zimbabwe, including new integrated cement plants, would be assessed under the group’s capital allocation framework and would remain subject to internal and external investment approval processes.