In the first 2 months of the year, Spain's cement consumption declined by -2.4% to 2.187 Mt, after 2.241 Mt in the first 2 month last year. Overall the biggest consumption changes have been in 2021 and 2022 with -11.1% and +17.2%.

A second kiln line at the Lebap cement plant in the Koytendag region in Turkmenistan with a clinker capacity of 3000 tpd and 1.1 Mta of cement has been commissioned. Line 2, which has been supplied by thyssenkrupp Polysius received a compliance certificate with international standards. The plant is a copy of line 1, which has been in 2013 also supplied by Polysius. The order for the second line has been awarded in summer 2021 by Türkmen Enjam, Turkmenistan’s leading private construction company.

In Spain, in the first 2 months of the year the cement production declined by -11.2% to 2.578 Mt, after 2.904 Mt in the first 2 month 2023 and 2.925 Mt in 2022.

The electric arc calcination (EAC) technology from Sweden’s Salt X company may change the industrial calcination in the global cement and lime industry. The plasma technology can not eliminate the CO2 formation from calcining limestone, but enables cost efficient carbon capture because of a closed process. Salt X is working on ZEQL (Zero Emission Quicklime) – the world’s first fully green electrified quicklime plant (illustration), which shall be ready by 2025. ABB partners with Salt X as a minority shareholder and supplier of automation and electrical systems.

In January 2024, Malaysia produced 2.461 Mt of cement, which is a +25.5% increase compared to January last year. Malaysia's cement production increased last year already by +16.8%, so the cement boom continues.

Heidelberg Materials updated information about the Airvault GOCO2 project in France. In the Airvault cement plant the existing 2 semi-wet kilns are replaced with a new 4000 tpd kiln line from German plant supplier thyssenkrupp Polysius by 2025. The new plant (illustration) will save about 30% of CO2 emissions with improved plant efficiency, lower clinker factor and higher alternative fuel rates. About 1.0 Mta of CO2 from the limestone calcination in new kiln shall be captured, starting in 2030. The CO2 will be liquefied and finally transported by ship to geological storage under the North Sea. The project is part of the GOCO2 (Grand Ouest CO2) initiative in the West of France, with participation by Heidelberg Materials, Holcim, Lhoist and others.

In 2023, El Salvador's cement consumption increased by +2.0% to 1.792 Mta, after 1.756 Mta in 2022. The quarterly data for the cement consumption in 4Q. has been almost constant YoY, after the decline in 3.Q. The per capita cement consumption (PCC) in the country increased to 279 kg.