Afghanistan: The National Development Company said construction of the third phase of the Ghori cement plant in Baghlan province has reached 10% completion, and is progressing ‘rapidly’, according to TOLO News. The company said the project will increase production capacity from 700t/day to 5700t/day once completed.

Afghanistan currently has five additional cement projects under development, which aim to improve self-sufficiency. Domestic production only meets around 5% of demand and more than 90% of cement is imported from Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

India: Property development and manufacturing conglomerate Elpro International has acquired a minority stake in Adani Group subsidiary Ambuja Cements for US$649,000, ScanX News has reported. It notified the BSE Limited stock exchange of the transaction on 13 April 2026.

Algeria: Biskria Ciment exported 20,000t of white cement from the port of Annaba to Guatemala on 18 April 2026, according to the Port Authority. The shipment reportedly forms part of efforts to increase non-hydrocarbon exports and expand Algerian products into international markets, including Latin America.

Austria: Austria will require a 1000km-long CO₂ pipeline through the Alps to serve its 2050 goal of 100% industrial carbon capture. A study by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) found that the pipeline would cost €10.7bn and transport 9.2Mt/yr of CO₂ by 2040, 13% of Austria’s entire CO2 emissions. A main line would run from Linz in Upper Austria to Vienna, then on to Burgenland and Styria before entering Italy, where CO₂ would be exported for storage under the Adriatic or North Seas.

UBA studied 31 Austrian industrial plants, including all cement and lime plants nationally, and found that carbon capture is presently uneconomical for all plants, based on an EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) credit price of €70/t. It modelled one proposed scenario in which the government funds 50% of the entire cost of industrial carbon capture systems and transport infrastructure, at a total €7.3bn over a 13-year construction period.