Global Cement News

US: Holcim has broken ground on the two-year US$95m modernisation project of its Hagerstown, Maryland cement plant. The project is expected to reduce the plant's environmental footprint and create hundreds of construction jobs in the process.

In addition to creating between 200 and 300 construction jobs during peak construction, Hagerstown plant manager Fernando Valencia said that the plant modernisation will decrease NO_x emissions by an estimated 60% and SO₂ emissions by about 48%. The project includes shortening the plant's existing rotating kiln, installing a new preheater tower over the top of the remaining kiln and installing an energy-efficient clinker cooler to replace the existing one, according to Holcim spokeswoman Robin DeCarlo.

The project comes after Holcim was hit with federal Clean Air Act violations from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2013. Holcim and the plant's former owner, St Lawrence Cement, agreed to a settlement with the EPA and planned to invest US$20m or more to upgrade the Hagerstown plant to significantly reduce NO_x and SO₂ emissions. The settlement, which was reached in July 2013, required Holcim to reduce SO₂ emissions by 230t/yr and NO_x emissions by 92t/yr by 9 September 2016. That would limit the SO₂ emissions to 655t/yr and 0.82kg (1.8lb) of NO_x per 0.89t (1 short ton) of clinker produced.

US: Eagle Materials has reported financial results for the first quarter of its 2015 fiscal year, which ended on 30 June 2014. First quarter earnings before interest and income taxes increased by 21% year-on-year to US$59.8m, as first quarter sales volumes improved across nearly all businesses areas and sales prices improved in all businesses.

Operating earnings from cement for the first quarter were US$20.5m, an 8% increase from the same quarter of the 2014 fiscal year. The earnings increase was driven by record cement sales volumes and a 5% increase in average net cement sales prices. While cement demand continues to recover, extraordinary rail congestion associated with the harsh winter weather adversely impacted the timing of cement shipments during the first quarter. Cement revenues, including joint venture and intersegment revenues, totalled US$128m, up by 9% year-on-year. Cement sales volumes were 1.3Mt, up by 4% year-on-year. The average net sales price grew by 5% year-on-year.

Tunisia: Carthage Cement Company's turnover for the first six months of 2014 amounted to US$87.5m excluding VAT, up by 419% compared to the same period of 2013. Clinker sales totalled US$16.6m, while cement sales amounted to US$55.1m, including US$14.5m of exports. Sales of ready-mix concrete grew by 25% compared to the same period in 2013.

India: Shree Cement is planning an expansion of its captive limestone-mining project at Baloda Bazar, Raipur District, Chhattisgarh from 4.8Mt/yr to 8.6Mt/yr on 5.31km² of land. The project will be part of its integrated cement plant and will be designed by JM Enviro Net. The expansion is currently waiting for environmental clearance. Mining work is expected to commence within two years.

India: Maha Cement has announced that it plans to enter the Sri Lanka cement market with its joint venture company, My Home Industries Limited (MHIL), which is part-owned by Ireland's CRH. MHIL has 8.40Mt/yr of cement production capacity and plans to increase its capacity to 10Mt/yr by 2015. It plans to set up a cement plant in the east coast of Tamil Nadu, India, for import to nearby Sri Lanka.