Saudi Arabia: Riyadh Cement Company awarded a US$34.8m contract to China-based Sinoma Energy Conservation to install a waste heat recovery (WHR) plant at its 3.7Mt/yr Riyadh cement plant. The installation will have a power generation capacity of 12.6MW.

Germany: Schaeffler and Vitesco Technologies Group have agreed to combine their businesses through the merger of Vitesco Technologies Group into Schaeffler. Following the completion of the transaction before the end of 2024, the equipment suppliers will create a new motion technology company to continue to serve their customers across four divisions.

Schaeffler chief executive officer Klaus Rosenfeld said “At Schaeffler, we are fully convinced that both companies ideally complement each other and will thus be stronger together. We are pleased that, after intense and, in part, for both sides, challenging discussions, we came to a business combination agreement, which now lays the ground for a swift and effective integration.”

India: JK Lakshmi Cement has obtained environmental clearance to mine up to 2.5Mt/yr of limestone from it Kachchh mine in Gujarat. The producer says that it plans to invest US$24m in expanding its operations at the site.

Bolivia: The Permanent Court of Arbitration has found itself ‘without jurisdiction’ to resolve a claim by Consorcio Cementero del Sur, Grupo de Inversiones Gloria Bolivia, SOBOCE and Yura Inversiones Bolivia against the Bolivian government over the nationalisation of a stake in FANCESA. Local press has reported that Bolivian Attorney General’s Office welcomed the finding as a ‘resolution of the case in favour of the Bolivian state.’