Concrete

Currently, we are not using fly ash in the cement and concrete blend due to regulatory issues

Published

12 years ago

July 31, 2014

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Sudhir Hoshing, CEO-Roads, Reliance Infrastructure Though the regulatory systems are yet to evolve and embrace the new construction material, fly ash has already proved its worth in several large-scale construction projects all over the world. Fly ash has been used in tall building structures like the Petronas Towers in Malaysia. Eurotunnel, the second largest rail tunnel had fly ash mixed in the concrete. In India it has been used in Bhakhra Dam, Rihand Dam, Rajasthan Atomic Power Plant, private builders like Hiranandani Developers, DLF have been using fly ash in residential buildings. ICR interacts with Sudhir Hoshing, CEO-Roads, Reliance Infrastructure, to gauge how the trend is catching up in India.

What are the benefits of blending fly ash in cement?
Fly ash, being a by-product of coal combustion, offers environmental advantages by diverting the material from the waste stream, reducing the energy investment in processing virgin materials, conserving virgin materials, and by allaying pollution.

It also improves the performance and quality of concrete as it:

Affects the plastic properties of concrete by improving workability, reducing water demand, reducing segregation and bleeding, and by lowering heat of hydration.
Fly ash increases strength, reduces permeability, reduces corrosion of reinforcing steel, increases sulphate resistance, and reduces alkali-aggregate reaction.
Fly ash reaches its maximum strength more slowly than concrete made with only Portland cement.
Reduces requirement of cement for same strength of concrete thus making the mix economical.
No special technique is needed to use fly ash blended concrete. It is to be used as per standard established method.

Does blending vary, based on the type of fly ash or application?
Based on the type of coal used, two different types of fly ashes are produced. Anthracite and bituminous coal produces fly ash classified as Class F. Class C fly ash is produced by burning lignite or sub-bituminous coal. For sulfate environments, only Class F fly ash will be permitted and under no circumstances will Class C fly ash be used.

Class F fly ash will typically require an air entraining agent to be added. Class C fly ash will not.

How is the availability of good quality fly ash in the country?
In India fly ash is being used to produce fly ash based PPC. Because in India the power plants basically use lignite and sub-bituminous coal, the Class F fly ash is relatively easy to obtain.

Do you use fly ash in your cement/concrete blends? To what extent?
Currently, we are not using fly ash in cement/concrete blends due to regulatory issues. However, fly ash is permitted for use in embankments, earthwork, etc. Generally, 15 to 28 per cent fly ash is used in such applications.

No special technique is needed to use fly ash blended concrete.

Concrete

UltraTech Cement FY26 PAT Crosses Rs 80 bn

Company reports record sales, profit and 200 MTPA capacity milestone

Published

2 days ago

April 29, 2026

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UltraTech Cement reported record financial performance for Q4 and FY26, supported by strong volumes, higher profitability and improved cost efficiency. Consolidated net sales for Q4 FY26 rose 12 per cent year-on-year to Rs 254.67 billion, while PBIDT increased 20 per cent to Rs 56.88 billion. PAT, excluding exceptional items, grew 21 per cent to Rs 30.11 billion.

For FY26, consolidated net sales stood at Rs 873.84 billion, up 17 per cent from Rs 749.36 billion in FY25. PBIDT rose 32 per cent to Rs 175.98 billion, while PAT increased 36 per cent to Rs 83.05 billion, crossing the Rs 80 billion mark for the first time.

India grey cement volumes reached 42.41 million tonnes in Q4 FY26, up 9.3 per cent year-on-year, with capacity utilisation at 89 per cent. Full-year India grey cement volumes stood at 145 million tonnes. Energy costs declined 3 per cent, aided by a higher green power mix of 43 per cent in Q4.

The company’s domestic grey cement capacity has crossed 200 MTPA, reaching 200.1 MTPA, while global capacity stands at 205.5 MTPA. UltraTech also recommended a special dividend of Rs 2.40 billion per share value basis equivalent to Rs 240.

Concrete

Towards Mega Batching

Optimised batching can drive overall efficiencies in large projects.

Published

3 days ago

April 28, 2026

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India’s pace of infrastructure development is pushing the construction sector to work at a significantly higher scale than previously. Tight deadlines necessitate eliminating concreting delays, especially in large and mega projects, which, in turn, imply installing the right batching plant and ensuring batching is efficient. CW explores these steps as well as the gaps in India’s batching plant market.

Choose well

Large-scale infrastructure and building projects typically involve concrete consumption exceeding 30,000-50,000 cum per annum or demand continuous, high-volume pours within compressed timelines, according to Rahul R Wadhai, DGM – Quality, Tata Projects.

Considering the daily need for concrete, “large-scale concreting involves pouring more than 1,000–2,000 cum per day while mega projects involve more than 3,000 cum per day,” says Satish R Vachhani, Advanced Concrete & Construction Consultant…

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Concrete

Andhra Offers Discom Licences To Private Firms Outside Power Sector

Policy allows firms over 300 MW to seek distribution licences

Published

4 days ago

April 27, 2026

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The Andhra Pradesh government will allow private firms that require more than 300 megawatt (MW) of power to apply for distribution licences, making the state the first to extend such licences beyond the power sector. The policy targets information technology, pharmaceuticals, steel and data centres and aims to reduce reliance on state utilities as demand rises for artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Approved applicants will be able to procure electricity directly from generators through power purchase agreements, a change officials said will create more competitive tariffs and reduce supply risk. Licence holders will use the Andhra Pradesh Transmission Company (APTRANSCO) network on payment of charges and will not need a separate distribution network initially.

Licences will be granted under the Electricity Act, 2003 framework, with the Central and State electricity regulators retaining authority over terms and approvals. The recent Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025 sought to lower entry barriers, enable network sharing and encourage competition, while the state commission will set floor and ceiling tariffs where multiple discoms operate.

Industry players and original equipment manufacturers welcomed the policy, saying competitive supply is vital for large data centre investments. Major projects and partnerships such as those involving Adani and Google, Brookfield and Reliance, and Meta and Sify Technologies are expected to benefit as capacity expands in the state.

Analysts noted India’s data centre capacity is forecast to reach 10 gigawatts (GW) by 2030 and cited International Energy Agency estimates that global data centre electricity consumption could approach 945 terawatt hours by the same year. A one GW data centre needs an equivalent power allocation and one point five times the water, which authorities equated to 150 billion litres (150 bn litres).

Advisers warned that distribution licences will require close regulation and monitoring to prevent misuse and to ensure tariffs and supply obligations are met. Officials said the policy aims to balance investor requirements with regulatory oversight and could serve as a model for other states.