Heidelberg Materials has started a feasibility study for a decarbonisation project at its Rezzato-Mazzano cement plant in Italy in the province of Brescia. The project will investigate a potential source-to-sink CCS solution and aims to make the plant the first in Italy to produce carbon captured net-zero cement which will be marketed under the evoZero® brand. An important development of the project is the start of phase 1 of the Ravenna CCS project (we reported here 31.01.2024), carried out by a joint venture between Italian integrated energy company Eni and energy infrastructure operator Snam.

In the first half of 2024, Tunisia's cement production (grey cement) declined by -12.6% to 3.174 Mt, after 3.632 Mt in the same period last year and 3.717 Mt in the year before.

In the first half of 2024, Liberia's cement production increased by 34.3% to 388 kt, after 289 kt in the same period last year and 302 kt in the year before.

India’s Adani Cement Group plans to expand its capacity from 88.9 Mta (incl. Penna Cement) to 140 Mta by 2028. In the company’s roadmap, out of the total expansion 81% shall be with greenfield projects, while only 19% shall be with brownfield projects. Adani focusses on highly standardized plants. New standardized clinkering units shall have a size of 4.0 Mta (12000 tpd), while new standardized grinding units shall have a size of 2.4 Mta (7200 tpd on PPC basis). The company is expecting a high reduction of specific installation costs with this approach.

In the first 8 months of 2024, Russia's cement production increased by +3.7% to 44.157 Mt, after 42.593 Mt in the same period last year and 41.504 Mt in the year before.

In the first 8 months of 2024, Azerbaijan's cement exports declined -6.6% to 0.511 Mt, after 0.547 Mt in the same period last year and 0.448 Mt in the year before.

India’s Ambuja Cement, part of the diversified Adani Group, has joined the Alliance for Industry Decarbonization (AFID) – a global platform which aims to accelerate the net zero transition in energy-intensive sectors, like cement, in accordance with the Paris Agreement. Ambuja, operating in the hard-to-abate cement industry (photo: Bhatapara cement plant), aims to achieve Net Zero by 2050, with targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). As part of its green energy commitment, it has announced a plan to invest INR 100 billion in renewable energy projects of 1 GW capacity and 376 MW of energy from waste heat recovery systems (WHR), to power 60% of its expanded capacity through green power by FY2028.