Uzbekistan: The multinational cement enterprise Surkhoncementinvest has revealed plans for a 1.1Mt integrated cement plant in the Surkhandarya region. The Uzbekistan National News Agency has reported that the first stage of the project, which will total US$144m, has already been completed, with technology from Austria, Germany, China and Russia installed. The majority of cement produced at the plant will be for export overseas.

Russia: Sibirskiy Cement subsidiary TimluyCement produced 0.3Mt of cement in the eight months to 31 August 2019, representing a year-on-year increase of 50% from 0.2Mt in 2018. The company explained this in terms of an 11% capacity increase in Buryatia and the opening of supply chains through Amur and Khabarovsk precipitating total exports of over 33,000t to the Far East.

Mexico: Holcim Mexico has announced a forthcoming investment of US$40m in the construction of a 0.7Mt/yr grinding plant in the state of Yucátan. Jamie Hill Tinoco, general director of Holcim Mexico, said that the plant, which will receive clinker from Holcim Mexico’s Macuspana and Orizaba cement plants, signifies the company’s commitment to the state, enabling it to ‘optimise local solutions with greater benefits for customers and communities.’ The plant will be Holcim Mexico’s sole dedicated grinding unit in an integrated cement production apparatus totalling 11.8Mt/yr capacity.

Holcim has had a presence in Yucatán since 1992 through its Uman distribution centre.

Tajikistan: Tajik producers produced 3.1Mt of cement in the nine months to 30 September 2019, up by 9.7% from 2.8Mt in the corresponding period of 2018. Cement producers exported a total of 1.2Mt to a value of US$54.1m. Around 0.7Mt went to Uzbekistan and 0.4Mt to Afghanistan, with most of the remaining produce going to other neighbouring countries.