Japan/Australia: Mitsubishi UBE Cement Corporation (MUCC) has invested US$5m in cleantech firm MCi Carbon, becoming the fourth major Japanese investor alongside ITOCHU Corporation, Mizuho Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank. The partnership includes a collaboration agreement focusing on mineral carbonation technology and a three-way memorandum of understanding with ITOCHU Corporation. MUCC will utilise MCi s technology to decarbonise cement production in Japan through CO2 emissions abatement and development of low-carbon materials. The investment supports the commissioning of MCi s Myrtle mineral carbonation demonstration plant in Australia. /Global Cement

Pakistan: Cement exports have increased by 23% to US$167m from July to December 2024, compared to US$136m in the same period of 2023, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. Export volumes rose by 34% from 3.51Mt to 4.69Mt. In December 2024, exports grew by 45% year-on-year to US$31.9m, up from US$22m in December 2023. The data also showed a 3% month-on-month rise in December 2024 compared to November 2024. /Global Cement

Azerbaijan: Cement production reached 4.03Mt in 2024, up by 1.6% year-on-year, according to the State Statistics Committee. The total value of the construction materials sector rose by 17% to US$823m. Production of bricks and similar products from cement and concrete increased by 41%, while cement clinker output grew by 16%. /Global Cement

Iraq: Iraq’s largest cement plant in Kirkuk has resumed operations after a shutdown in November 2024 due to environmental non-compliance and an issued fine of US$343,000. Upgrades include a new dust control system and pollution monitoring equipment. Residents of nearby Lailan have previously protested against the plant, stating that the pollution caused adverse health effects and poisoned local crops, according to Intellinews. Following inspections, the factory now reportedly meets relevant pollutant standards. /Global Cement

India: The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with JK Cement to support startups, entrepreneurs and innovation in manufacturing. The partnership will provide access to JK Cement’s infrastructure, manufacturing and research and development facilities, mentorship programmes, pilot projects and university resources. /Global Cement

UAE: A cement plant in Fujairah has halted operations after a malfunction caused thick smoke to rise from the chimney, according to local news reports. The Fujairah Environment Authority conducted an inspection to ensure compliance with environmental regulations and laws. The plant consequently initiated an immediate shutdown and submitted a plan to repair the malfunction and prevent future issues. /Global Cement

Pakistan: December 2024 saw mixed results for cement despatches, according to data published by the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association. Local despatches declined by 5% year-on-year, falling to 3.37Mt from 3.54Mt in December 2023. Overall, total cement despatches for December 2024 stood at 4.15Mt, up by 2% from 4.06Mt year-on-year. For the first half of the fiscal year, total despatches decreased by 4% to 22.9Mt. Domestic despatches saw a significant drop of 10%, totalling 18.1Mt. Exports, however, witnessed a 32% increase, reaching 4.81Mt during this period. In December 2024, exports reached 0.78Mt, a 49% year-on-year increase from 0.53Mt in December 2023. /Global Cement

India: JK Cement has laid the foundation stone for a new grinding unit in Buxar, Bihar, at a cost of US$58.7m. With a capacity of 3Mt/yr, the unit is expected to increase the company s production capacity to over 30Mt/yr by 2025, from the current 24.3Mt/yr, according to Biltrax Media.Raghavpat Singhania, managing director of JK Cement, said "The new facility will not only enhance JK Cement s reach across India but also contribute to the overall infrastructural and economic development of Bihar.”/Global Cement

Tanzania/Kenya: Savannah Clinker has abandoned its US$198m bid to acquire Bamburi Cement, leaving Tanzania-based Amsons Group as the sole bidder with an offer of US$168m. The withdrawal followed the exit of Savannah Clinker s financier, Global Infrastructure Finance & Development Authority, due to the arrest of chair Savannah Ndeta on suspicion of fraud and the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) declining a 60-day extension request.A spokesperson for Savannah Clinker said "The withdrawal of the competing offer has been occasioned by the recent well-publicised arrest and indictment of the chair and main shareholder of Savannah, Benson Ndeta, which has led to the financier of the competing offer seeking additional due diligence. This is further compounded by the CMA s decision to decline a request made on 2 December 2024 to extend the offer period by 60 days."/Global Cement

India: Ambuja Cements has started a strategic partnership with Finland-based Coolbrook to use its RotoDynamic Heater (RDH). The technology uses renewably powered electrical heat to replace or reduce the amount of fossil fuels used for reaching high temperatures in cement kiln pre-calciners. No indication of the price or which cement plants will be upgraded with the equipment has been disclosed. The deal is intended to help Ambuja Cements meet its targets of reaching an alternative fuels thermal substitution rate of 28% and a renewable energy rate of 60% by 2028.Ajay Kapur, CEO - Cement Business, Adani Group, said, “We continuously seek out innovations which drive efficiency and decarbonisation across our cement manufacturing value chain. Leveraging our Adani Group s green power generation capabilities, we will be able to reduce fossil fuel dependence, costs, and emissions, ultimately delivering the best value for our stakeholders.”/Global Cement

Armenia: The Armenian government has extended restrictions on the import of cement and clinker from Iran and other countries for another six months on 28 November 2024.The restrictions were first adopted on 13 January 2022 and have been repeatedly extended since then. The latest decision takes effect on 20 January 2025 and is valid until 20 July 2025.As a result, domestic cement production increased to 1.14Mt in 2023, a rise of 13% year-on-year, while clinker imports rose by 125,200t (19%) and cement imports increased to approximately 270,000t. During the first eight months of 2024, cement imports rose to 305,100t, a 260% increase compared to the same period in 2023, due to lower Iranian cement price. Concurrently, local cement production declined by 31% to 485,900t in the first half of 2024/Global Cement

Iran: Ali Akbar Alvandian, the Secretary of the Cement Industry Employers Association, says that cement plants have been forced to cut production due to a shortage of gas. He said that plant s near cities had been forced to halve production, according to comments made to the ILNA news agency. Plants in the countryside, however, have been able to cope better by using mazut heavy fuel oil. In addition cement companies were also negatively affected by electricity rationing over the summer. At its peak, in August 2024, 70% of kilns were closed.Despite these issues there have been no significant changes in the price of cement due to the country s use of commodity exchanges. However, exports have decreased by 17% year-on-year in the first seven months of the year. Most of the country s clinker is exported to Iraq, Kuwait and India. The main destinations for cement include Afghanistan, Russia, Kuwait, Armenia, Turkmenistan and Pakistan./Global Cement

Iraq: Sinoma International Engineering, China s largest provider of cement engineering services, has secured a US$351.5m engineering procurement contract to build a 1000MW solar power plant in Iraq for Mass Renewable Energy Production, part of the Mass Group which also operates a 6Mt/yr cement plant in Bazian, Iraq.The turnkey contract, to be built in Al-Kut, will take 21 months to build, leading to completion by the third quarter of 2026./Global Cement

Afghanistan: A joint venture of two local and two China-based companies plans to build a new US$200m, 1Mt/yr-capacity cement plant in Balkh. Afghan state media has reported that the plant will generate 1000 local jobs and reduce the reliance on imports in Northern Afghanistan./Global Cement

Türkiye: The Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change has initiated a new process for the Integrated Cement Factory and Raw Material Quarries Project in Muğla, which had previously been halted due to local opposition and judicial rulings. A meeting of the Investigation and Evaluation Commission (IAC) is scheduled for 28 November 2024, according to the Ministry s announcement on 6 November 2024.According to Railly News, the project ran into difficulties when construction by local company Muğla Cement Industry and Trade began in 2021. Following environmental concerns, the Muğla 2nd Administrative Court cancelled the construction permit and the environmental impact assessment (EIA) positive decision, citing non-compliance with the law. A request to appeal was denied.In response to these developments, local environmental groups and residents have continued their legal efforts, most recently challenging the designation of the plant area as an Industrial Area in the regional development plan. The case remains pending./Global Cement