Nigeria: BUA Cement’s Sokoto cement plant has resumed operations following a fire that killed three workers. The Sun newspaper has reported that the fire began at a diesel storage tank depot near to the plant, where third-party contract workers were welding a diesel storage tank. The group said that it activated a swift response in order to prevent any escalation of the incident.

Tanzania: Dangote Cement has signed an agreement with the Tanzanian Ports Authority whereby it will ship cement from its Mtwara cement plant and raw materials for its Tanzanian operations via the Port of Mtwara. Ecofin Agency News has reported that the company previously used the road network for both materials. This had a negative impact on local roads and prevented it from exporting the Mtwara cement plant’s cement overseas.

US: New industrial nitrous oxide (NO_x) emissions limits under the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s proposed Good Neighbour Plan will cost US$1.1bn by 2026, according to the National Association of Manufacturers. US Political and Economic Organizations News has reported that the association claims that the cost of implementing the regulations may harm US manufacturing and the country’s economy.

China: Fujian Jianfu Cement has hired Citic Heavy Industries to carry out engineering design, procurement, construction and delivery of its upcoming 4500t/day ‘green smart’ cement plant. Process Worldwide Online News has reported that the plant will cost US$136m and operate with a high degree of process automation. As such, Citic Heavy Industries will rely on 3D parametric equipment design and digital twin technology in order to generate equipment models, incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) and maximise data potential for lifecycle operations.