Concrete

US cancels $500mn grant for California net-zero cement project

Published

1 month ago

June 17, 2025

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The US Department of Energy (DOE) has revoked a $500 million grant initially awarded in December 2024 to National Cement for transforming its Lebec, California plant into the state’s first net-zero cement facility. The $891 million project aimed to produce limestone calcined clay cement, fuel operations with agricultural waste, and capture CO2 for underground storage. It was also expected to generate 20–25 permanent jobs. The DOE cited poor financial viability and weak taxpayer returns as reasons for withdrawing support, part of a broader rollback that saw 24 grants totalling $3.7 billion cancelled. Energy Secretary Chris Wright criticised the previous administration’s ‘lack of due diligence’ in approving the awards. Meanwhile, Steven Nadel of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy called the cancellations ‘shortsighted’ and potentially regrettable. The initiative was among 33 industrial decarbonisation projects funded in 2023 and had already appeared on a DOE watchlist for possible termination earlier in 2025.

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Concrete

Cement industry to gain from new infrastructure spending

Published

5 days ago

July 24, 2025

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As per a news report, Karan Adani, ACC Chair, has said that he expects the cement industry to benefit from the an anticipated US$2.2tn in new public infrastructure spending between 2025 and 2030. In a statement he said that ACC has crossed the 100Mt/yr cement capacity milestone in April 2025, propelling the company to get closer to its ambitious 140Mt/yr target by the 2028 financial year. The company’s capacity corresponds to 15 per cent of an all-India installed capacity of 686Mt/yr.

Image source:https://cementplantsupplier.com/cement-manufacturing/emerging-trends-in-cement-manufacturing-technology/

Concrete

AI boom drives demand, says ACA

Published

5 days ago

July 24, 2025

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The American Cement Association projects a nearly 1Mt annual increase in US cement demand over the next three years, driven by the surge in AI data centres. Consumption by data centres is expected to grow from 247,000 tonnes in 2025 to 860,000 tonnes by 2027. With over 5,400 AI data centres currently operating and numbers forecast to exceed 6,000 by 2027, the association cautions that regulatory hurdles and labour shortages may impact the industry’s ability to meet demand.

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Concrete

GoldCrest Cement to build plant in India

Published

6 days ago

July 23, 2025

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GoldCrest Cement will build a greenfield integrated plant with a 3.5Mt/yr clinker capacity and 4.5Mt/yr cement capacity. GoldCrest Cement appointed Humboldt Wedag India as engineering, procurement and construction contractor in March 2025 and targets completion by March 2027. It has signed a 40-year supply agreement with Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation for 150Mt of limestone from its upcoming Lakhpat Punrajpur mine in Gujarat.