New Zealand: Holcim Australia and New Zealand plans to establish a new low carbon cement import and distribution facility next to its existing cement terminal at Ports of Auckland. The company says that the facility will have the capacity to replace 100,000t/yr of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) used in New Zealand. In 2021, the country consumed 1.6Mt of cement, generating 1.3Mt of CO₂ emissions.

CEO George Agriogiannis said “I’m pleased Holcim Australia and New Zealand is progressing to the building phase of a facility that will import and distribute low carbon cement replacement products. Once operational, the site will enable the reduction of carbon emissions via a cement replacement which can be used for applications such as infrastructure, commercial and residential projects.” He concluded “This initiative is a positive step toward the New Zealand government’s Zero Carbon ambitions and Holcim’s Net Zero climate pledge.”

US: Monarch Cement’s net sales were US$212m in 2021, up by 12% year-on-year from US$189m in 2020. Its cement sales volumes increased by 12% year-on-year to 1.2Mt. Monarch Cement invested US$24m in new equipment in 2021, including 27 new ready-mix trucks, six new cement haul trucks, three loaders and two excavators. It plans to launch Portland limestone cement (PLC) products later in 2022.

EU: European Union (EU) member state governments have agreed to establish a carbon border adjustment mechanism on imports of polluting goods, including cement, from outside of the EU. Besides preventing carbon leakage, the member states hope that the mechanism will encourage EU partners to establish carbon pricing policies and combat climate change within the framework of the European Emissions Trading System (ETS).

US: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded its Energy Star certification to cement plants belonging to two Titan America subsidiaries. Titan Florida’s Pennsuco, Florida, cement plant has secured its 14th consecutive Energy Star, while Roanoke Cement’s Troutville, Virginia, cement has secured its 15th consecutive Energy Star.

Other cement plants to receive Energy Stars in 2022 included two Argos USA plants (Calera, Alabama, and Harleyville, South Carolina), two GCC plants (Pueblo, Colorado, and Rapid City, South Dakota), Buzzi Unicem’s Chattanooga, Tennessee, plant and three plants in Arizona: CalPortland’s Rillito plant, Drake Cement’s Paulden plant and Salt River Materials Group’s Clarkdale plant.