Global Cement News

Nicaragua: According to Reuters, Cemex has begun construction on a new US$55m cement grinding plant in Nicaragua.

Cemex said that the new plant would boost cement production capacity by 0.44Mt/yr, which equates to 104% of the country's current production capacity. The plant is projected to increase housing and infrastructure development. The new plant in Ciudad Sandino, on the outskirts of the capital Managua, will eventually include two grinding mills and is expected to be complete by the end of 2017.

Nigeria: Dangote Cement has reported that its first quarter pre-tax profits fell by 1.25% year-on-year to US$331.7m. Gross earnings rose to US$652.5m compared with US$599.9m in the same period of 2013.

Dangote's chairman, Aliko Dangote, disclosed that its expansion drive would increase capacity and add an additional 9Mt/yr of production capacity by July 2014, expressing satisfaction that cement imports into Nigeria had continued to fall. An estimated 1.1Mt of cement was imported in 2013, down from 1.9Mt in 2012.

Dangote vowed that the company would stop at nothing to expand, as most of Nigeria's neighbours are currently importing cement from the Far East. "We are confident that Nigeria's cement will prove more attractive than the imports, particularly within the 15 member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)," he added.

To stabilise the price of cement and free the consumers from 'profiteering middlemen,' Dangote said that his company would intensify its direct-to-consumer deliveries.

Saudi Arabia: China's Tianjin Cement Industry Design and Research Institute Co Ltd Tianjin, part of Sinoma International, has signed a contract with Loesche for the delivery of a LM 56.4 vertical roller mill to the cement plant of United Cement Industrial Company in

Saudi Arabia.

The Loesche mill will grind cement raw material at a production rate of 420t/hr with a fineneness of 12% R 90μm / 2% R 200μm. Loesche will also deliver a 3600kW capacity gearbox. The very hot ambient conditions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia causes very dry raw materials, necessitating a grinding bed sprinkler system.

Delivery for the key parts of the LM 56.4 is scheduled in August 2014. The commercial production of cement is expected in the second half of 2015.

Egypt: Ten cement plants, accounting for 70% of Egypt's capacity, have been forced to temporarily halt production after state-run Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) stopped providing them with natural gas.

"These plants have not yet officially announced that they are shutting down. They initially gave employees 15 days off and have extended the leave by another week, because the agreed-upon daily supply of natural gas was stopped," said an official from the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI). He said that the plant owners are holding discussions with the prime minister to review gas prices to ensure that the cement sector can continue to operate. The shutdowns are costing each plant around US$2.14m/day on average.

EGAS supplies nearly 800Mft³/day of gas to the industrial sector at subsidised prices, of which 150Mft³/day is allocated for the cement sector. However, frequent power outages have forced the government to redirect gas supplies from some cement plants to meet the needs of power plants.

The Ministry of Petroleum had initially reduced gas supplies to cement plants by 35% in the first two months of 2014. "The government, represented by the petroleum sector, bears a cost of US$1.4bn from selling natural gas at subsidised prices to cement plants, whereas those plants export their production or offer it in the local market at international prices," said Petroleum minister Sherif Ismail.

Ismail said that the government is considering a new price mechanism for the industrial sector, however, any changes would be implemented gradually because of the difficult economic situation in Egypt 'which cannot withstand a sudden spike in prices.'

Pakistan: The attempts for an ultimate buyout of Lafarge Pakistan Cement Limited (LPCL) intensified on 30 April 2014 as interested parties made public announcements of their intention to acquire shares. That was to comply with the requirements of Listed Companies (Substantial Acquisition of Voting shares and Takeovers) Ordinance 2002. Currently, Lafarge SA has a 73% stake in LPCL.

William Gordon Rodgers, authorised representative of Vision Holding Middle East Limited (VHMEL), made a public announcement of VHMEL's intention to acquire 75.86% of LPCL. He said, "The total number of issued shares of LPCL is 1.45bn. VHMEL intends to buy 1.10bn shares, constituting 75.86% of the total." Rodgers added that if VHMEL proceeds to buy the shares, it would make a public announcement of offer to acquire further ordinary shares of LPCL in accordance with the requirements of the Listed Companies (Substantial Acquisition of Voting shares and Takeovers) Ordinance 2002.

DG Khan Cement Company Limited (DGKC) also disclosed its interest in Lafarge. The company expressed its intention to acquire the 100% stake of Lafarge in LPCL. DGKC's company secretary, Khalid Mahmood Chohan, said, "The proposed transaction will be subject to the relevant approvals and legal formalities, including formalities under the Listed Companies (Substantial Acquisition of Voting shares and Takeovers) Ordinance 2002."

LPCL has an installed capacity of 2.4Mt/yr with its plant located in Chakwal, Chakwal District.