China: Xinjiang Tianshan Cement, a subsidiary of Chizhou CNBM New Materials, has acquired mining rights for the Hengshan mining area and peripheral mines in Chizhou City’s Guichi District in Anhui province for US$376m. Reuters has reported that the company plans to make a total investment of US$1.38bn in establishing its mining operations there. The mines have limestone reserves of 513Mt and will be operational until 2043.

India: ACC has launched Holcim’s Houses of Tomorrow sustainable homebuilding initiative with the construction of a low CO₂ home in Puducherry called Gratitude Villa. Projects Today News has reported that architect Trupti Doshi selected building materials to reduce CO₂ emissions by 40% by comparison to conventional materials such as ordinary Portland cement (OPC). She opted for ACC’s Suraksha brand cement, fly ash bricks and ECOPact green concrete.

South Korea: Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki has announced plans for a further increase to his country’s coal imports from Australia in order to enable cement production to continue and prevent a shortage. The Yonhap News Agency News has reported that the government plans to accelerate customs clearance processes around the fossil fuel. Hong added that the government will ‘sternly deal with any illegal hoarding or price fixing’ of cement.

Mexico: Eight people have died in an armed clash at Cooperativa La Cruz Azul’s Hidalgo cement plant. The El País newspaper has reported that attackers riding in multiple trucks arrived at the plant in the early hours of 27 April 2022. In addition to the eight dead, a further 12 people were wounded in the ensuing fight with defenders. Attackers also destroyed some control panel wiring at the plant and set fire to eight vehicles. The altercation caused a suspension of cement production at the facility.

Police detained nine suspects and have established a watch at the Hidalgo plant.