Uzbekistan: Karauzak Cement has signed a contract for China-based Tianjin Cement Industry Design and Research Institute (Sinoma TCDRI) to supply a 1.6Mt/yr clinker plant for US$273m. The scope of supply includes a full production line from raw material crushing to shipping finished cement. The project will be located in Nukus District in Karakalpakstan. Commissioning is expected within about two years after advance payment is received.

Philippines: The Department of Trade and Industry says that it is considering banning Bureau of Philippines Standards-certified companies’ cement from bearing the label ‘Made in the Philippines’ where it was produced in another country. The Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines has complained that the labels constitute false advertising.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said that any regulative action would follow a thorough review, but “offhand, if products are not really manufactured here, they cannot be labelled as ‘Made in the Philippines.’”

Pakistan: Maple Leaf Cement plans to expand the waste heat recovery (WHR) unit to 25MW at its integrated Iskanderabad plant. The project is scheduled for completion in September 2021. It has a projected budget of around US$11m.

Japan: Sumitomo Osaka Cement says that independent tests have confirmed that the radioactivity levels of cement produced at its 0.9Mt/yr Tochigi plant in Sano, Tochigi Prefecture are “below the lowest detectable limit,” meaning that the product is safe. The company said, “We hope that you will continue to use our products with peace of mind.”

Production at the plant was disrupted in 2011 when it was discovered that it was co-processing sewage sludge sourced from near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Ōkuma, Fukushima Prefecture. The power plant suffered a nuclear meltdown following the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011 that led to widespread radioactive fallout.