Algeria: Amouda Cement is preparing to launch an oil well cement production line at its plant at El Beïda in Laghouat province. L Expression newspaper reports that the product will be targeted at oil and gas companies in the southern region of the country, particularly those near to the RN 1 highway. /Global Cement

Iraq: Saudi Arabia-based Northern Region Cement Company has hired Germany-based KHD to build a 1.32Mt/yr cement line in Iraq. Reuters has reported the value of the contract as US$139m. The supplier said that the project will last for 16 months from its date of commencement. /Global Cement

India: JK Lakshmi Cement recorded sales of US$189m during the second quarter of the 2024 financial year (FY2024), up by 15% year-on-year. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 33% to US$26.1m, while its profit grew by 43% to US$5.4m. /Global Cement

China: China National Building Material (CNBM) says that its subsidiary Gansu Qilianshan Cement has issued shares. Reuters has reported that CNBM stated the reason for the issuance is ‘asset acquisition’ as part of the group’s on-going restructuring. /Global Cement

India: ACC recorded sales of US$1.16bn during the first half of its 2024 financial year that started in April 2023. This represents a year-on-year rise of 14% from US$1.02bn in the first half of the previous financial year. Cement sales grew by 15%, to US$1.08bn, 94% of total sales. The company s raw materials costs rose by 16% to US$185m, while its power and fuel costs fell by 24% to US$241m, failing to offset a 5% rise in overall costs, to US$1.06bn. As such, ACC reported a profit after tax of US$102m, up by a factor of six from nine-month 2023 financial year levels. /Global Cement

Ghana: The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has shut down Wan Heng Ghana’s 0.5Mt/yr grinding plant in Tema after the company failed to pay US$60.6m in taxes. GhanaWeb reports that the GRA gave the China-based company 10 days in which to pay its taxes, otherwise the closure will continue. Wan Heng Ghana operates in the country using the Sol Cement brand. /Global Cement

India: Udaipur Cement Works commissions second kiln line at its Udaipur cement plant in Rajasthan. Reuters has reported that the new line doubles the plant’s clinker capacity to 3Mt/yr. /Global Cement

India: Sagar Cements reported sales worth US$136m in the first half of the 2024 financial year. This corresponds to a year-on-year rise of 9.1% from US$124m in the first half of the previous financial year. The producer recorded a loss for the period of US$6.31m, down by 3.9% from US$6.57m. This was in spite of a 7.8% rise in its total costs, to US$148m./Global Cement

UAE: Emirates Cement (Arkan) has appointed Oman and Etihad Rail Company (OER) to provide train transport for imported Omani limestone to its 1Mt/yr Al Ain cement plant. Saeed Khalfan Al Ghafri, CEO of Emirates Cement (Arkan)’s parent company, Emirates Steel Arkan Group, said “Our collaboration with OER enhances our supply chain capabilities by leveraging the railway network that connects both countries. This agreement paves the way for integrated logistics solutions for transporting raw materials to and from our cement plant in Al Ain, boosting operational efficiencies and cost-effectiveness and reducing environmental impact.” /Global Cement

Philippines cement producer, Republic Cement (a member of the Aboitiz Group), has entered into an agreement with ACS, a supplier of household and personal care products, to collaborate on the use of plastic waste as fuel. ACS President, Lourdes Supetran, commented on the parnership: "ACS is proud to enter into this partnership with Republic Cement and ecoloop. We are confident that, through this partnership, we will continue to live up to our mission of being responsible manufacturers while doing our part in caring for the environment." /WorldCement

Pakistan: The Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division) is preparing a proposal for a ‘significant’ rise in gas tariffs in Pakistan. The Energy Update newspaper has reported that the rise will affect gas prices in the cement sector, besides other industries. The government aims to reduce the natural gas sector’s debts from US$10.5bn as part of a deal with the International Monetary Fund. /Global Cement

Pakistan: Fauji Cement sold 4.9Mt of cement during Pakistan’s 2023 financial year (FY2023), which ended on 30 June 2023. This generated revenues of US$244m, up by 25% year-on-year from US$194m in FY2022. The producer’s earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) also rose, by 29% to US$72.3m from US$56.2m.Managing director and CEO Qamar Haris Manzoor said “The transformation journey which started in 2020 on capacity enhancement, cost reduction initiatives and increasing captive green energy has now started to pay dividends, despite unpreceded economic challenges.” He continued “FY2023 has been challenging for businesses due to all-time high inflation and interest rates, which saw a drop in consumer demand, negatively affecting the industry. The cement industry saw a demand decline of 16% as construction activities decreased in both the northern and southern regions of the country. Despite the tough environment, Fauji Cement remained committed to its growth strategy, and successfully commissioned its 6500t/day expansion project at its Nizampur site.”/Global Cement

Egypt: Misr Beni Suef Cement has secured board approval for a reduction in its issued capital. Arab Finance News has reported that the company plans to reduce its capital by 10% to US$19.8m. /Global Cement

Shipments of Portland and blended cement, including imports, in the US and Puerto Rico in July 2023 came to an estimated 9.3Mt, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The figure was 2.1% lower than in July 2022, when 9.5Mt of cement was shipped. Of the total blended volume reported in July 2023, 4.9Mt (98%) was estimated to be Portland-limestone cement. US-wide shipments for the January 2023 to July 2023 period came to 60.4Mt, a 2% decrease from 61.7Mt reported in the same period of 2022. The leading producing states for Portland and blended cement in July 2023 were, in descending order: Texas; Missouri; California; Florida; and Michigan. Together these five states accounted for 39% of all cement produced in the country during the month. The leading cement-consuming states were, in descending order: Texas; California; Florida; Georgia; and Ohio. Together these states jointly received 38% of all shipments in July 2023. /Global Cement

Vietnam: Vietnam is estimated to have produced 89.8Mt of cement in the first nine months of 2023, a year-on-year fall of 4% according to the state-run General Statistics Office (GSO). In September 2023, the country’s cement output is projected to have reached 10.2Mt, a year-on-year rise of 5%. /Global Cement