Concrete

Ambuja Cementâ€™s Strategic plan on track to expand capacity to reach 50 MTPA

Published

6 years ago

March 5, 2021

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The 38 th Annual General Meeting of Ambuja Cements Ltd. was conducted on 9^th April 2021 virtually. Mr. Martin Kriegner, Non-Executive Director of the Company, chaired the meeting. The Chairman mentioned that Ambuja Cement is strongly progressing to become the ??ost Innovative,Sustainable and Competitive Building Solutions Company in India?? Ambuja Cement has a robust road map to become the best in the industry with strategic priorities structured under key levers of Growth, Competitiveness, Innovation & Digitalisation and Sustainability.

Growth: Ambuja Cement has ambitious growth plans to increase capacities and capture market growth in India. Its upcoming facility in Marwar Mundwa, Rajasthan will enhance clinker capacity by3 MTPA and help improve cement sales by 5 MTPA, contributing to long term strategy of capacity expansion. This Greenfield integrated plant, at a total investment of Rs. 2350 crores, will commence operations by Q3 2021. Ambuja is evaluating brownfield expansions in Bhatapara and Maratha plants.

It is also looking at significant debottlenecking opportunities across all plants. The growth plans will be executed in mid-term for Ambuja to reach 50 MTPA cement capacity. Competitiveness: Ambuja?? Operating EBITDA grew by 23% to Rs. 2,647 crores and Net Profit grew by 17% to Rs. 1,790 crores in 2020. Operating EBITDA and Net Profit margin for the year stood at 23.7% and 16% respectively, reporting a growth of 480 basis points and 260 basis points, over 2019. This strong performance was delivered through several cost management and efficiency initiatives. During the year, Ambuja leveraged synergies with ACC to drive scale and performance. This synergy under the Master Supply Agreement with ACC, led to more than 5% contribution Profit Before Tax in 2020. Ambuja Cement has a robust balance sheet with zero debt and AAA rating from Crisil.

Innovation and Digitalisation: During the year, Ambuja has launched its special product, ??mbuja Kawach?? which is a sustainable water-repellent cement and reduces carbon footprint by 33%, in comparison to other products. Its special product volume has recorded a strong double digit growth of 16% in 2020 and now comprises 11% of its total volumes.

Ambuja is strongly committed to enhance business efficiencies by leveraging Digitalization. The key focus of the year was on implementing digital tools in various parts of operations to enhance performance. The main initiative was the ??lants of Tomorrow??program which records and reports data from all assets on a real time basis helping improve operational efficiency. On logistics front, Artificial Intelligence powered supply chain management platform ??lue Yonder??was initiated and ??ransport Analytics Center??adopted from parent LafargeHolcim. Ambuja has also increased its digital engagement with customers and channel partners.

Sustainability: Ambuja Cement?? global parent LafargeHolcim has committed to becoming a ??et Zero??company and has set for itself the most ambitious climate targets in cement industry. Ambuja

has aligned to its parent?? ??et Zero??plan and sustainability strategy. Ambuja?? Sustainable Development Plan 2030 has a sharp focus on climate and energy, building a circular economy, conserving resources and nature, and driving meaningful change in the lives of communities. It aims to reduce CO2 to 463 kg CO₂/t cem. Ambuja targets to reuse 13.5 million tonnes of Waste and be 13 times water positive. It aims to save 77 litre/ tonne of cementious of water and positively impact the lives of 80 lakhs beneficiaries through its various CSR programs.

In 2020, Ambuja reduced its Specific net CO₂ per tonne of cementitious product to 531 kg. A uniqueinitiative in pipeline is the construction of WHRS in three locations by 2022 that would generate 54 MW to support power requirements in its plants. On circular economy, Ambuja co-processed around 4.5 lakhs tonnes of waste in its kilns including 83,000 tonnes of plastic waste. In addition, it consumed about 8 million tonnes of waste derived alternative raw materials such as fly ash, slag, synthetic gypsum in the manufacturing process. Ambuja is at the forefront in India in offering sustainable, long term waste management solutions through ??eocycle?? its waste management arm. In 2020, Ambuja has been 8 times water positive and reached out to 15.6 lakhs beneficiaries, through its CSR programs.

Across all its 20 locations, Ambuja reported zero fatality. It ranked 5 th in the Global Dow Jones Sustainability Index, a very significant global recognition.

Comments of Mr. Martin Kriegner, Chairman of the 38th AGM:

?? would like to congratulate all the employees of Ambuja for their resilience and commitment to deliver a remarkable performance in 2020. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I express my sincere appreciation for the efforts and hard work from employees at all levels and wish them the very best for year 2021. I take this opportunity to thank all our shareholders for their trust.??/p>

Concrete

UltraTech’s Kukurdih unit runs fully on green energy

The Chhattisgarh plant has met 100 per cent of its electricity needs through green energy since April 2026.

Published

2 days ago

October 1, 2026

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UltraTech Cement’s Kukurdih Cement Works in Chhattisgarh has met 100 per cent of its electricity requirement through green energy every month since April 2026. Commissioned in 2024, the integrated cement manufacturing unit has an installed grey cement capacity of 3.3 million tonnes per annum.

The plant meets its electricity requirement through a combination of renewable power sourcing and Waste Heat Recovery Systems (WHRS). UltraTech said the combination enables the unit to meet its power needs through green energy while maintaining operational reliability.

Since April 2026, nearly a third of UltraTech’s 76 manufacturing units in India have maintained green energy utilisation above 50 per cent of their electricity requirement. Five units, including Kukurdih, have exceeded 95 per cent green energy utilisation.

The company is also progressively deploying Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) across its manufacturing network to support greater integration of renewable energy. UltraTech said it has not invested in new captive thermal power capacity at its integrated units, including greenfield projects and brownfield expansions, for more than 10 years.

As of Q1FY27, UltraTech’s captive green energy capacity stood at 1,897 MW, comprising 1,463 MW of renewable capacity from solar, wind and hybrid sources, and 434 MW of WHRS capacity.

Under its RE100 commitment, the company aims to increase the share of green power in its total power mix to 85 per cent by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2050.

Concrete

Cement Prices Rise Rs. 7 per Bag in September; October Hikes Expected

Cement prices rose in September as companies weighed further increases.

Published

2 days ago

October 1, 2026

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Cement companies may seek to raise prices by Rs. 5 to Rs. 20 per bag across most markets in October, although the ability to sustain the increases will depend on demand recovery and dealer acceptance, according to a report by Centrum Broking. The outlook follows a pickup in pricing momentum during September after largely stable prices in July and August.

The all-India average trade price increased by Rs. 7 per bag month-on-month to Rs. 356 in September. Centrum Broking’s channel checks indicated gains across both trade and non-trade segments, with non-trade prices recording sharper increases in most markets. However, higher company billing rates were not fully passed on to customers in several regions because dealers continued selling at earlier prices to meet quarter-end volume targets.

The brokerage said demand weakness in Q2FY27 was less pronounced than the usual seasonal trend, with construction activity improving in several markets towards the end of the quarter. Demand remained range-bound across several markets in July and August, while September produced mixed regional trends. Higher rainfall affected activity in some areas, whereas lower rainfall supported construction work elsewhere.

South India recorded the largest price increase in September, at Rs. 11 per bag, followed by West India at Rs. 9. Central, East and North India each reported increases of Rs. 5 per bag. Despite the September recovery, the average all-India trade price for Q2FY27 stood at Rs. 351 per bag, down Rs. 1 sequentially, as weaker pricing in July and August offset the later gains.

Centrum Broking said the success of any October increases would depend on the pace of demand recovery and dealers’ willingness to accept higher prices. Fuel prices have also risen sharply in recent weeks, making the implementation and sustainability of price increases a key factor for the cement industry’s pricing outlook.

Concrete

Andhra Pradesh Clears Rs. 30 bn My Home Cement Plant

Project receives incentives of up to Rs. 11.29 bn from state

Published

3 days ago

September 30, 2026

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The Andhra Pradesh government has approved a greenfield cement project worth Rs. 30 bn by My Home Industries, along with incentives of up to Rs. 11.29 bn. The decision comes amid a political controversy in Telangana involving allegations about landholdings associated with My Home Group.

According to an Industries and Commerce Department order issued on September 25, 2026, the project is expected to create 2,000 jobs and begin commercial production by March 2029. The proposed facility will have capacity to produce 3.5 MTPA of clinker and 3.5 MTPA of cement.

The total investment includes fixed capital investment of Rs. 25.97 bn, pre-operative expenses of Rs. 2.23 bn, contingencies of Rs. 1.26 bn and working capital margin of Rs. 540 mn. The incentive package is capped at Rs. 11.29 bn, equivalent to up to 43.48 per cent of fixed capital investment, subject to completion of the committed investment by March 2029.

The package includes a capital subsidy of 39 per cent of eligible fixed capital investment, capped at Rs. 9.43 bn, payable over 10 years from the start of commercial production. It also provides reimbursement of Rs. 1 per unit on electricity purchased from distribution companies for 10 years, subject to a ceiling of Rs. 1.86 bn. A further incentive equivalent to 2 per cent of fixed capital investment is linked to the creation of the committed jobs and other policy conditions.

The state has approved the allotment of 27.19 acres through the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation at actual cost. The project also involves land linked to two temples and the realignment of a canal across approximately 9.93 acres, with conditions requiring alternative temple facilities and company-funded infrastructure work. Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has separately raised allegations concerning land associated with My Home Group, including 2,463 acres near Shamshabad. The allegations remain subject to verification through official records and any investigations.