Brazil: Cement sales in Brazil fell by 1% year-on-year to 5.7Mt in May 2026, according to the latest statistics from the National Cement Industry Union (SNIC). Accumulated sales in the first five months of 2026 rose by 1% year-on-year. Sales continue to be supported by the labour market and the real estate market, driven by the Minha Casa, Minha Vida housing programme. However, the industry is facing high interest rates, inflation and cost pressures from the instability in the Middle East.

In the real estate market, sales rose by 4% in the first quarter of 2026. Confidence in the construction sector remained stable in May 2026, although the building segment showed more pessimism in the face of labour shortages and cost pressures. 

SNIC president Paulo Camillo Penna said "The sector is experiencing mixed signals. On the one hand, it is undeniable that the strengthening of the labour market and updates to housing programmes are cornerstones for positive results. However, we are dealing with a negative scenario of a smaller drop in the interest rate and high inflation, accentuated by instability in the Middle East. Furthermore, the industry is closely monitoring the vote on the bill that proposes ending the 6x1 work schedule, since this possible labour change has the potential to significantly increase the industry's operating costs."

Denmark: Aalborg Portland signed a contract on 9 June 2026 with the country's energy agency for €2.2bn in subsidies for its carbon capture and storage (CCS) project from 2030.

"We can ​now take the decisive step toward realising a project that is not only ​significant in a Danish context, but is also among the largest industrial CO₂ capture projects in Europe," Aalborg Portland CEO Soren Holm Christensen said in a statement. Aalborg Portland will receive €117/t of CO₂ captured, corresponding to up to €147m/yr for 15 years, with the subsidies covering the capture, transport and storage of up to 1.25Mt/yr of CO₂. The company added that it expects the project to account for more than half of the Danish CCS subsidy pool's overall ​target of capturing 2.3Mt/yr of CO₂ ​from 2029.

Air ⁠Liquide will provide the capture technology for the project, while Harbour Energy will provide the transport infrastructure and storage, according to the company.

India: Sagar Cements announced that its subsidiary, Sagar Cements Pvt Ltd, has commissioned an additional cement grinding capacity of 0.5Mt/yr at its plant in Jeerabad, Madhya Pradesh. The unit has commenced commercial operations and SCMPL's total cement grinding capacity now stands at 1.5Mt/yr. Sagar Cements’ total capacity is now 11Mt/yr.

Iraq: Government-owned Iraq Cement State Company (ICSC) has invited companies to bid for three projects to develop cement plants in the country. The first and second projects will develop two new integrated plants, each with a capacity of 6000t/day. The first facility is due to be developed in the Kufa quarries area in Al-Najaf Al-Ashraf Governorate, and the second is due to be developed in the Mosul district of Iraq’s Nineveh Governorate. The third project is focused on expanding the existing Hadbaa cement plant, which is also located in the Mosul district.

The scope of the project includes establishing a new dry-process, gas-fuelled line capable of producing 3200t/day of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and sulphate-resistant cement (SRC). The new line needs to be capable of producing cement suitable for dam filling, according to ICSC. ICSC has invited ‘Iraqi and Arab investors’ to participate in the projects, according to Yahoo, as well as companies specialised in developing cement plants. The deadline for submitting bids for all three projects is 23 June 2026.