Syria: The project to rehabilitate and modernise the Tartous cement plant in partnership with UAE-based QZ Group is advancing, as part of efforts to revive the industrial sector and reduce reliance on cement imports, according to Business News Africa. The project will upgrade the plant’s milling and packaging units, introducing modern technologies and improving environmental performance. Preparatory work is currently underway, including site cleaning, maintenance and equipment readiness before full-scale development begins.

Bassam Ali, director of the Tartous cement plant, said the agreement signed between the state-owned Omran Company and QZ Group also prioritises training local workers and transferring technical expertise. QZ project manager Ahmed Salma said that the initial phase includes engineering and environmental studies, as well as coordination with international suppliers for equipment procurement. The company has also begun importing clinker from Egypt and Saudi Arabia in preparation for grinding operations. The 15-year project is expected to increase domestic cement output and help to stabilise prices in the local market.

Spain: Cement consumption fell by 0.1% year-on-year in February 2026 to 1.28Mt, according to data from Oficemen. In the first two months of 2026, consumption declined by 0.2% year-on-year to 2.38Mt. The association attributed the slowdown largely to heavy rainfall, noting that January and February were the wettest months in 47 years, with February rainfall reaching 2.5 times the monthly average. Despite the weak start to the year, rolling 12-month cement consumption from March 2025 to February 2026 reached 16.7Mt, representing growth of 11%.

Exports declined by 7% year-on-year in February 2026 to 265,000t, while exports for the first two months of 2026 fell by 10% to 543000t. Over the rolling 12-month period, exports totalled 4.39Mt, down by 11% compared to the previous period.

Kyrgyzstan: The government has proposed introducing molecular marking of cement to combat the black market and improve transparency in production, imports and sales, according to Akchabar news. Under the proposal, cement classified under HS code 2523 would be subject to mandatory molecular marking from 1 June 2026, with a ban on the circulation of unmarked cement from 1 December 2026. The system would allow authorities to track cement from production or import through to final sale. The molecular marker would be added to cement without affecting its physical or chemical properties and verified using specialised equipment.

The country’s cement production capacity is estimated at 8.40Mt/yr, although actual output is reportedly significantly lower, and authorities believe some production and sales may be underreported. Cement imports reached 1.10Mt in 2025. The Cabinet of Ministers expects that the new marking system could double the size of the legal cement market within three years and generate up to US$34m per year in tax revenue from manufacturers, with additional revenue expected from concrete and other construction companies.

Sweden: SaltX Technology has signed a joint development agreement with Holcim to develop a fully electrified clinker production process, with the goal of building Europe’s first fully electric cement plant by 2028. The collaboration builds on an earlier partnership established in June 2025, and focuses on electrifying cement production through SaltX’s technology platform, combining electrified calcination and electrified sintering to enable fossil-free clinker production. The companies have established a joint technical and commercial roadmap, beginning with pilot-scale testing before moving to industrial-scale deployment.

Two technical development tracks are being pursued: The first focuses on electrified calcination using plasma burners in SaltX’s electric arc calciner to heat raw meal and produce calcined material. Large-scale testing is planned at the electric calcination research centre in Hofors during 2026. The second track focuses on combining electrified calcination with electric sintering to produce clinker without fossil fuels.

Lina Jorheden said “The strengthened partnership with Holcim confirms the potential of our technology and marks a key step in developing electrified clinker production. By combining our technology with Holcim’s industrial expertise, we can jointly further develop and industrialise solutions for large-scale electrified cement manufacturing.”