Vietnam: The Ministry of Finance has proposed increasing the export tariff for clinker to 10% from 5%. The ministry said that exports of cement and clinker were not sustainable as they use non-renewable resources, according to the Viet Nam News newspaper. It added that cement producers also benefit from low electricity prices. Customs data shows that the country exported nearly 33Mt of cement and clinker in 2020. 22Mt or 73% of this total consisted of clinker.

India: Nuvoco Vistas has received approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India to launch an initial public offering (IPO) of shares worth US$670m. The Hindu newspaper has reported that the offering will consist of a US$201m issuance of shares and a US$469m offer for sale. Around US$180m of the funds will be used to reduce the group’s debts and the remainder will be used for general corporate purposes.

South Korea: Hanil Hyundai Cement has placed an order with Japan-based Kawasaki Heavy Industries for the design and installation of a 22.6MW waste heat recovery (WHR) unit at its Yeongwol cement plant in Gangwon. The WHR plant will generate power from heat from two of the plant’s production lines when commissioned in December 2022. The supplier says that it will serve 30% of the plant’s energy needs. Kawasaki Heavy Industries says it has previously supplied WHR units to Japan, Germany, South Korea, Turkey, China, Vietnam, India, Pakistan and elsewhere.

Peru: Cement production in the 12 months ending on 30 June 2021 was 12.2Mt, up by 43% year-on-year from 8.54Mt in the previous 12 months. Data from the Association of Cement Producers (ASOCEM) shows that local dispatches totalled 11.9Mt, up by 42% from 8.41Mt.

Cement exports recorded a drop, down by 7% to 0.16Mt from 0.17Mt, while clinker exports rose by 44% to 0.52Mt from 0.36Mt. High demand led to an increase in imports to 0.94Mt of cement, up by 59% from 0.59Mt, and 1.41Mt of clinker, almost triple the previous year’s volume of 0.48Mt.