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Pakistan to export cement from Iran to East Asia 30 March 2016
Iran/Pakistan: An Iranian cement producer has revealed plans that Pakistan will help Iran export cement to East Asian countries. Morteza Lotfi, head of the Fars & Khuzestan Cement Company, has said that Iran will supply cement to Pakistan and in return Pakistan will export the same amount of cement to its neighbouring countries under Iran’s name, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) has reported.
Lotfi said that Pakistan has the infrastructure to export cement to its neighbours but it doesn’t produce enough cement to meet its domestic consumption. Therefore the two countries agreed on a cement swap. He added that Iran’s annual capacity for producing cement is about 80Mt/yr. Pakistan produces about 40Mt/yr. According to the agreement, Iran will also launch a clinker grinding unit in Pakistan.
Twenty-four countries, including Iraq, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Qatar, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Georgia, Oman, India and China are among the main buyers of Iran’s cement. Tehran exported 19Mt of cement and clinker in 2014.
US: Cement consumption in the US will rise by 3.4% in 2016, according to a report from the Portland Cement Association (PCA). The forecast has been revised down from the PCA’s previous forecast of 5%. The PCA expects cement consumption in 2017 to grow by 4.3%.
“The new forecast reflects the implementation of the new multi-year highway bill, Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act,” said Edward Sullivan, PCA chief economist and group vice-president. “However, our forecast still reflects a deterioration in global growth conditions, an even weaker projection for oil prices, and a tightening of US monetary policy.”
CNBM net profit falls by 83% to US$157m 30 March 2016
China: China National Building Material Company's (CNBM) net profit has fallen by 83% year-on-year to US$157m in 2015. Its revenue fell by 17.8% to US$15.4bn. China's largest cement producer has blamed the loss of profits on a steep drop in cement sales due to a national slowdown in fixed-asset investments, infrastructure construction and real estate investments.
Two of CNBM's cement subsidiaries also reported falling financial results. China United saw its sales fall by 28% and South Cement reported that its revenue fell by 21%.
The state-owned building materials company also produces gypsum wallboard, insulation materials and ceiling systems. Revenue from the sale of lightweight building materials fell by 7.6% to US$1.09bn as the price of gypsum wallboard fell. However, revenue from mineral wool insulation sales and composite materials rose by 25.3% to US$501m due to increased sales of pipes, tanks and rotor blades.
Dalmia Bharat consolidates operations in east India 30 March 2016
India: Dalmia Bharat has merged OCL India Limited and Dalmia Cement East Limited ‘Bokaro’ with Odisha Cement Limited. The resulting company will be called OCL India Limited. It has also amalgamated Adhunik Cement with Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Limited (DCBL) and transferred the power assets in Dalmia Cement Bharat Power Ventures Limited to DCBL.
In a statement the Indian cement producer added that the move would simplify its corporate structure leading to significant unrealised benefits. It added that following the consolidation OCL will become the largest Portland slag cement producer in India.
In early March 2016 Dalmia Bharat received approval from the Competition Commission of India to acquire a 15% stake in its subsidiary Dalmia Cement Bharat from private equity firm KKR for over US$181m in a cash and stock deal. After the purchase, Dalmia Cement Bharat became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dalmia Bharat.
Dalmia Bharat runs cement and power businesses. The group has a presence in southern and eastern India, including the northeast. Dalmia Bharat has a cement production capacity of 25Mt/yr.
Protestors oppose Hpa-an cement plant project 30 March 2016
Myanmar: Hundreds of protestors have gathered in Hpa-an to object against a revived proposal to build a 5000t/day cement plant in Mi Karen and to develop a nearby limestone quarry. The project was originally put on hold in 2014 pending a public consultation, according to the Irrawaddy newspaper.
Protestors held a 'no cement' prayer vigil demanding that the project be scrapped. Local residents fear that the proposed cement plant will require land to be confiscated to build it as well as citing environmental and public health concerns.
Hpa-an has two existing cement plants in Myaingkalay with a combined cement production capacity of 4900t/day. These are run by the government and the military’s Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (UMEHL) respectively.