Global Cement News

Oman: Raysut Cement Company has launched a programme to recycle industrial byproducts for use as alternative fuel in cement production and electricity generation, to align with Oman's goal of net zero emissions by 2050.

Hilal bin Saif Al-Dhamri, Acting CEO of Raysut Cement, said "We use secondary industrial materials resulting from production processes across various industries. These are recycled in cement manufacturing and are categorised into two types: one that can be reused as an alternative fuel in plants, the other is used as a partial replacement to the main raw materials leveraged for cement production.” He added "We implemented a project to reuse exhaust heat and convert it to electrical energy at the Raysut Cement plant in Salalah. This innovative approach permits the plant to generate approximately 30% of its electrical energy, by reducing around 50,000t/yr of CO₂. As a result, the Salalah Raysut Cement plant stands out as environmentally friendly, distinguished by its capability to provide clean energy for cement production."

Al-Dhamri also noted that the company was able to enhance the efficiency of its Salalah plant through this programme, by reducing the clinker content while improving the performance of cement in concrete. This has reportedly contributed to a CO₂ emissions reduction of around 18% compared to ordinary cement.

Morocco: Cement deliveries in Morocco reached 11.12Mt from January - October 2024, up by 8% compared to the same period in 2023. The Moroccan Cement Association (APC) reported that cement sales in October 2024 increased to 1.3Mt, a 20% rise from 1.08Mt in October 2023. The APC has attributed this growth to high demand across various construction segments.

Vietnam: Vietnam produced 149Mt of cement between January and October 2024, up by 1.7% year-on-year. In October 2024, production was 16Mt, marking a rise of 7.1% from October 2023. Total production in 2023 was 120Mt, down by 4.5% year-on-year.

Nigeria: ABC Haulage, the heavy-duty vehicle division of ABC Transport, has expanded its operations at one of Lafarge Africa's cement plants by introducing a new fleet of compressed natural gas (CNG) powered vehicles. Victor Nneji, head of innovation & strategy at ABC Transport, said that adopting CNG technology has reduced operating costs by reducing dependency on diesel. This expansion increases the company’s capacity at the unnamed plant by 250,000t/yr.

Argentina: Cement shipments remained below pandemic and pre-pandemic levels in October 2024, which marked the sixth decline so far in 2024, according to Clarion newspaper. October 2024 saw shipments down by 20% year-on-year and 1.1% month-on-month, according to the Portland Cement Manufacturing Association (AFCP). In October 2024, sales dropped to 907,421t. 7.9Mt of cement was sold in the first 10 months of 2024 compared to 10.7Mt in the same period in 2023. Consumption also suffered a year-on-year decrease of 20% ​​and a monthly decline of 1.3%. The industry attributes the downturn primarily to a halt in national public works, as well as rising costs such as taxes on limestone and quarry exploitation fees.

Damián Altgelt, executive director of AFCP, said "The cement sector is going through a difficult year, with a drop of close to 25% compared to 2023. We confidently hope that the macroeconomic measures that the government is undertaking will allow us to overcome this transition period soon and recover the highest levels of activity again. In the past four months we have seen around 0.9Mt of cement sold (per month), which is clearly higher than the very depressed levels we had in the first half of 2024.”