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Cockburn Cement charged with two environmental offences 23 September 2011
Australia: The Australian Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) has charged Cockburn Cement with causing pollution in a southern Perth neighbourhood and contravening conditions of its environmental licence after lime kiln dust escaped from its Perth plant on 28 April 2010. The company also allegedly failed to adhere to its environmental licence by not disposing of its lime kiln dust in a wet state.
Cockburn faces a fine of up to USD486,650 for the pollution charge while it could be slapped with a USD121,300 fine for contravening its environmental licence. The company will appear in Fremantle Magistrates Court on 21 October 2011.
Congressmen urge Obama to support Cement Sector Relief Act 22 September 2011
US: Congressmen Steve Chabot (Ohio) and Geoff Davis (Kentucky) have sent an open letter to US President Barack Obama regarding his visit to the Cincinnati area in northern Kentucky. Noting that the President chose a ready-mix concrete plant as the location for his remarks, Chabot and Davis have urged the President to support the Portland Cement Association (PCA)-backed Cement Sector Relief Act of 2011 (H.R. 2681) that is currently moving through the House of Representatives.
If enacted, H.R. 2681 would stop the federal government from imposing what the industry and the PCA see as excessive regulations, previously described as 'avalanche' of legislation, on cement manufacturers, threatening thousands of American jobs.
The EPA estimates that just one of the three proposed rules could threaten 12 of the US's 100 cement plants, which represent 11% of the nation's cement production capacity. According to experts at the Southern Methodist University, "Should 10% of the domestic industry disappear the direct, indirect and induced job losses would exceed 15,000. This figure does not include possible job losses in the huge construction sector that might occur in the face of higher concrete prices."
Hunger-strikers at French cement plant 21 September 2011
France: Twelve Lafarge employees have gone on hunger-strike to oppose the closure of the company's plant in Frangey, Haute-Savoie, France. The French cement giant took the decision to close the site by April 2013 in May 2011 and the trade union CGT fears that Lafarge wants to close another five cement units in the future.
Lafarge to reconnect sidings to North Kent mainline 21 September 2011
UK: Lafarge Cement's vision for the future is starting to take shape at the company's former cement works at Northfleet in Kent, UK, where it is conducting a major investment to reconnect rail freight facilities to the main north Kent line. Lafarge expects the rail sidings to be operational by mid February 2012.
The first main user of the restored line will be the cross-London rail project, Crossrail, which will transport excavated material from a tunnel bore near Paddington, London by train to Northfleet for onward transportation by ship.
Balfour Beatty Rail is carrying out all the design and construction of the new sidings and connection to the main line, whilst Chunnel Group has carried out the siding preparation works within the main site. The overall length of the rail link is around 2.25km and in total 4.75km of new track will be provided.
The 104-acre site is undergoing redevelopment by Lafarge in association with the Councils of Kent and Gravesham. The linkage of the site to the main line represents another important step in the regeneration of Northfleet embankment.
Kishan nearing completion on new capacity 19 September 2011
India: The Rajkot-based Kishan group of companies will increase its cement making capacity by investing USD53-63m to set up a new cement plant, which is expected to be commissioned by the end of November 2011. The company already operates a mini cement plant and markets cement under the brand name of Kishan Cement.
For the major cement plant, the Kishan group has formed a new company under the name of 'Hi-Bond Cement India Private Limited.' The group's director, Rajan Vadaliya Vadalia, who also heads the cement plant project, said that the production capacity of new cement plant would be 0.9Mt/yr, with the potential for further expansion in the future. Vadalia added that production would continue at the 0.2Mt/yr mini cement plant.
"The Kishan brand will help us to get new business because it has already a well known name," said Vadaliya. The company is focusing on Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and some parts of Madhya Pradesh for marketing.
"Logistically it is costly to cater to the pan-India market, hence we are focusing on markets in western India. Meanwhile, we are also looking at export opportunities and our team is working on various options for exports," he said. He also reported that the machinery for the new cement plant was being imported by a well-known Danish company.