Global Cement News

UK: Mick George Concrete has announced a contract with Highways England for the construction of ancillary features such as kerbs, drains and mass fill usages on the A14 between Huntingdon and Cambridge in early 2020. The project will utilise 500m3 of Cemfree concrete from DB Group (Holdings) ltd., which can be produced releasing just 20% of the CO₂ of ordinary Portland cement (OPC). The value of the project, to which Mick George Concrete has dedicated a 100t silo for Cemfree storage, is Euro1.76bn.

US: The Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTI), a joint initiative of CDP, the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), the World Resources Institute (WRI) and WWF, has described Switzerland-based LafargeHolcim’s CO₂ reduction targets as ‘adequate’ and ‘consistent with efforts agreed upon at the COP21 World Climate Conference in Paris.’ These are aimed at preventing global temperatures from rising by 2°C.

LafargeHolcim has committed to a 10% reduction in emissions from kiln and pre-heater fuel to 520kg of CO₂ per tonne of cement in 2030 compared to 576kg/t in 2018. Over the same period it will reduce its indirect emissions from electricity consumption by 65%.

Spain: Total cement consumption fell to 1.1Mt in November 2019, down by 8.3% from 1.2Mt in the previous November. CIC Architecture and Sustainability Online has reported that this was 2019’s third month to show a decrease compared to 2018 figures, and the sharpest year-on-year decline so far. The year-on-year decrease for the 11 months to 30 November 2019 is 6.8%. Production failed to show growth, with imports bridging the supply gap. Clinker alone has grown by over 100% to imports of 0.5Mt in the same 11 months from over 0.2Mt in the corresponding period of 2018. Exports, which have declined over 30 consecutive months, fell by 30% year-on-year in November 2019 to under 0.5Mt from over 0.6Mt one year previously. This brings the decline for the year so far to 22% year-on-year to 5.8Mt from 7.4Mt in the first 11 months of 2018. Oficemen president Víctor García Brosa explained that energy prices were a contributing factor to Spain’s production problems. He said that electricity is ‘27% more expensive than in Germany or France.’

India: Germany’s Gebr. Pfeiffer has won a supply contract with UltraTech for one MVR 6000 C-6. The mill can grind up to 370t/hr of mixed cements or 225t/hr of granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS). Gebr. Pfeiffer has stated that it is the 17th mill of its type in India. The company will assist its subsidiary Gebr. Pfeiffer (India) Pvt. Ltd. in commissioning the mill in early 2021.

Bulgaria: The Bulgarian government has terminated Devnya Cement’s concessionary contract for the extraction of quartz sand for cement production from the Selski Nivi deposit. SeeNews has reported that the company requested the contract’s termination due to alterations to its production strategy in response to market conditions.

In 2018, Devnya Cement generated a revenue of Euro70.3m, which translated into Euro8.65m profit.