UK: HeidelbergCement subsidiary Hanson’s plan for the installation of a carbon capture system at its Padeswood cement plant has proceeded to the due diligence stage for funding from the UK government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The project is one of 20 from the East Coast Cluster and HyNet North West Consortium to make the shortlist for this phase of the approval process.

If successful, Hanson will be able to capture 800,000t/yr of CO₂ and produce carbon neutral cement at the Padeswood plant by 2027. It will create 54 new skilled full-time jobs.

India: Indian cement producers imported four shipments with a total of 160,000t of petcoke from Venezuela during the first quarter of the 2023 financial year. Reuters News has reported that a fifth shipment of 50,000t of petcoke is due to arrive in Mangaluru, Karnataka, in mid-August. A further, 30,000t, delivery is also scheduled for shipment from Venezuela during the month. Shipping takes around 50 days.

Ramco Cements enjoyed a US$15 – 20/t discount on its two 50,000t shipments of Venezuelan petcoke in June and July 2022, for which it paid US$10.7m and US$11.1m respectively. Its chief financial officer Sivaraman Vaithiyanathan said
"The quality of petcoke is very good and it has very low sulphur."

Egypt: Arab Swiss Engineering Company (ASEC) has won a contract to manage operations and maintenance at Building Material Industries Company (BMIC)’s Asyut cement plant in Asyut Governorate. ASEC previously held responsibility for the plant’s technical management between 2011 and 2019.

The supplier says that both parties look forward to this new phase in their cooperation to maximise the success of the plant’s operations.

India: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved Adani Group’s US$10.5bn deal to acquire Holcim’s Indian business. Holcim holds a 63% stake in Ambuja Cements, which holds a 50% stake in ACC. Holcim also holds a direct 4.5% stake in ACC.

Adani Group launched a new company, Endeavour, to assume ownership of the new share capital from Holcim’s holding company Holderind Investments.