Cement News tagged: International
CCSA calls on UK government for CCS commitment
The UK government announced plans yesterday to build new gas power stations to ensure a safe and reliable energy source while the country transitions to net zero. This shoring up of the UK’s energy supply is aimed at days when the weather forecast does not power up renewables, as well as reducing the UK’s reliance on power from countries such as Russia. Commenting on the decision, UK Prime...
Pakistan cement prices down in March
Cement prices in Pakistan have fallen in the opening week of March, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. The average retail price of a bag of cement in the northern regions of Pakistan came in at PKR1248 (US$4.47) in the first week of March, down 0.29 per cent from the average of PKR1251 seen in the previous week. Elsewhere in the country, average cement retail prices were report...
Argentine cement market contracts 24% in February
Cement consumption in Argentina fell 23.5 per cent YoY to 684,960t in February 2024 from 895,938t in February 2023, according to the country’s cement association, AFCP. When compared with the previous month, demand dropped 10.7 per cent from 767,263t. Output from domestic cement plants was down 23.4 per cent YoY to 689,425t in February 2024 from 900,151t. When compared with January 2024, pro...
A quarterly review of the Pakistan cement industry
Due to many competing factors, Pakistan's cement industry will likely see lukewarm sales in 3QFY23-24 (January-March 2024). The holy month of Ramadan will begin on 11 or 12 March and may exhibit weak cement demand for about 30 days. According to AKD Research, industry sales in the current quarter (3QFY23-24) are expected to remain subdued owing to election activity, Ramadan, Eid festivities...
Essential women in an essential industry, marking International Women's Day 2024
To mark International Women’s Day 2024, the GCCA invited women working in its member companies around the world on their perspectives on working in global heavy industry, the importance of gender diversity, and for any career advice they can offer to other women keen to work in the cement and concrete industry. Eva Sebastià, corporate engineer of Cementos Molins, said: “After working in this ...
Disappointing trend continues in Japan
Japan cement sales shrank 5.5 per cent YoY in the first month of 2024, marking a continuing trend. Sales were 2.389Mt in January, down from 2.527Mt a year earlier, according to the Japan Cement Association (JCA). Since the mid-2010s sales have been in steady decline and contracted a further 5.6 per cent in 2023 to 35.377Mt from 37.488 in 2022. Lacklustre public sector and civil engineering wor...
Zimbabwe ends cement import licences
The Zimbabwean government has ended the issuance of cement imports. The licences were first introduced in October 2023 to help curb the artificial shortage of cement as prices spiralled out of control, reports The Chronicle. With the price of a 50kg bag of cement jumping from US$9 to US$20, the country’s largest infrastructure projects were in danger of significant delays. To address th...
Strong start to 2024 for Senegal cement
Domestic cement sales in Senegal grew 3.3 per cent YoY in January 2024, coming in at 0.666Mt compared to 0.645Mt in January 2023, according to the country’s national statistics office, DPEE. For 2023 as whole, cement sales rose nine per cent YoY to 7.044Mt, up from 6.46Mt in 2022. Strong population growth, which averaged 2.7 per cent YoY in the decade to 2023 (versus just 0.6 per cent in the ...
Scotland's MPA calls for mineral forum
Scotland’s economic development and drive for decarbonisation depend on domestically available mineral products, according to a new document from the Mineral Products Association Scotland (MPAS) that sets out a series of policy recommendations for the Scottish government. The document, ‘Priorities for Scotland’, highlights the role played by Scotland’s mineral production sector, which manufac...
Italian cement slips in 2023 with moderate 2024 forecast
Italian cement output expanded eight per cent YoY in December 2023, according to the Italian concrete association, Federbeton. This was largely driven by robust demand from local public sector works, which totaled EUR18.1bn in the year to December. However, cement output contracted two per cent for 2023 as a whole, weighed down by sluggish activity in the construction sector. Data from the ...
Colombian cement market contracts 4% in January
Cement dispatches in Colombia declined 4.2 per cent YoY to 0.891Mt in January 2024 when compared with 0.93Mt dispatched in January 2023, reports the country’s statistics office, DANE. The decrease was attributed by DANE to a drop in sales in Norte de Santander (-38.9 per cent YoY), Valle del Cauca (-11.7 per cent) and Atlántico (-12.4 per cent). Bagged cement sales declined by six per cent Y...
US and Puerto Rico cement consumption slips in 2023
Total US and Puerto Rican shipments of Portland and blended cement, including imports, remained stable at 7.1 per cent in December 2023, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Of total blended tonnage reported 3.7Mt, or 98 per cent, was estimated to be Portland limestone cement (Type IL). Texas, Florida, California, Georgia and North Carolina were the leading consuming states, accountin...
Pakistan cement dispatches down 19% YoY in February
Pakistan has reported total cement dispatches of 3.26Mt in February 2024, compared to 4.04Mt in the same period a year earlier. This marks a YoY decline of 19.2 per cent, according to the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association. Local dispatches in February this year came in at 2.86Mt, down 20.2 per cent on the same period a year ago, reports Bol News, while cement exports have seen ...
AfriSam annual budget discussion centres on sluggish construction sector
AfriSam recently gathered its stakeholders for its Annual Budget Breakdown event in Johannesburg, to hear insights on the construction sector and budget speech. Econometrix Chief Economist, Dr Azar Jammine, highlighted that the South African construction and building industries were still in the doldrums, with little sign of emerging from it soon. Dr Jammine pointed to the low economic g...
Cement performance aids Pakistan Stock Exchange's record 2023 profitability
Pakistan Stock Exchange saw record profitability in 2023 amid the cement performance. The profitability of the KSE-100 index continues to soar to new heights, posting a robust growth of 51 per cent YoY in 2023. According to AHL Research, the increase in profitability during the period was attributable to a surge of 82, 60, 55 and 47 per cent YoY growth in banks, E&Ps, power and fertilisers, r...
Azerbaijani exports up 14% in 2023
Cement and clinker exports from Azerbaijan to Georgia advanced by 13.9 per cent YoY to 814,803t in 2023. The value of the exports increased by 34.4 per cent YoY to US$46.562m. There are four cement producers in Azerbaijan: Norm Cement with its 2.1Mta Qizildas plant in Garadagh, Holcim (Azerbaijan) OJSC with its 1.7Mta Qaradag works in Baku, Gazakh Cement Plant LLC’s 1.5Mta unit in ...