Concrete

CemHack for Green Infra Hackathon

Published

1 year ago

June 17, 2025

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Organised by the National Council for Cement and Building Materials-Incubation Centre (NCB-IC), the CemHack for Green Infra hackathon was a first-of-its-kind event for the cement and construction sector.

A national-level hackathon called the ‘CemHack for Green Infra’ was launched to encourage innovation and ideation in the construction and cement industries. This unique initiative was inaugurated by Sanjiv, Joint Secretary, DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, in presence of Professor KK Pant, Director, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee; Neeraj Akhoury, Chairman-NCB & MD-Shree Cement; and Dr LP Singh, Director General-National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCB). The event took place on 20th May 2025 at NCB Ballabgarh, and was attended by research scholars, students, industry experts and NCB scientists and engineers.
Sanjiv, JS-DPIIT, complimented NCB Incubation Centre in organising the hackathon for cement and construction sector on the first anniversary of its establishment. He desired that the reputed institutes and colleges like IITs, NITs, technical universities and regional institutes, should be encouraged for maximum participation in this hackathon. He hoped to see success stories from startups incubated at NCB.
Professor Pant supported NCB’s effort in organising this hackathon as it brought a unique opportunity for students, research scholars and researchers. The participants got the opportunity to showcase their innovative ideas and get support from the industry. He informed that IIT Roorkee is collaborating with NCB on plasma-based electrification and carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) in the cement sector.
In his speech, Akhoury emphasised that the Indian cement industry is at the forefront of adopting newer technologies and innovation. In the light of the MoU between Shree Cement signed MoU and StartUp India, which was signed last year, the company will continue to extend its support to NCB in organising this event and supporting the winners of the hackathon.
While speaking at the event Dr Singh stated that the purpose of organising hackathon to promote innovation in cement and construction sector. He also highlighted the endeavours of NCB towards Net Zero in cement industry including award of project grant to a consortium of NCB-IIT Roorkee-J K Cement, by Department of Science & Technology, Government of India on establishing CCU test beds in cement sector. He also showcased the outline to establish Centre of Excellence at NCB Ballabgarh on CCU in cement sector.
Dr SK Chaturvedi, Joint Director and Secretary-NCB, proposed vote of thanks on the occasion. He thanked DPIIT, Shree Cement, JSW Cement and J K Cement for supporting the hackathon.
The hackathon aims at fostering innovation and building an entrepreneurial ecosystem in the cement, construction, building materials and allied sectors in India. NCB Incubation Centre serves as an umbrella platform providing comprehensive support from start to scale for entrepreneurship and start-ups. It facilitates the commercialisation of ground-level research by promoting innovation and product development.
Dr Kapil Kukreja, GM & Incharge-NCB Incubation Centre briefed about the hackathon ‘CemHack for Green Infra’ and informed that this has been organised to foster innovation and develop sustainable, technology-driven solutions in the cement ecosystem. There will be two tracks in this hackathon: First track for startups, professionals and individuals and second track for students, researchers and academia. Participating teams will address real-world challenges faced by the cement sector. There will be no participation fee.

There are six themes of hackathon as follows:
1. Green Cement (alternative raw materials, higher use and new types of supplementary cementitious materials, new binders, AI/ML application etc.)
2. Green Process (H2, solar thermal, micro grids, waste heat recovery, alternative fuels, AI/ML application etc.)
3. Green Concrete (sustainable and novel materials and special concrete application)
4. Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage in Cement Industry
5. Logistics and Supply Chain Management in Cement and Construction Industry
6. Achieving Net Zero and Sustainable Development Goals in Cement and Construction Industry

Rewards and benefits for the winners:

Track-1: Startup/professionals/individuals
First Place Winner: Rs.1,00,000
Second Place Winner: Rs.50,000/-
Third Place Winner: Rs.30,000/-

(With incubation opportunity at NCB-IC)

Track-2: Students/Research Scholars/Academia

First Place Winner: Rs.75,000/-
Second Place Winner: Rs.35,000/-
Third Place Winner: Rs.15,000/-

(With certificates and mentoring opportunity at NCB)

NCB is an apex research and development organisation under the administrative control of Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. NCB is dedicated to research, technology development and transfer, education and industrial services for cement, allied building materials and construction industries. NCB’s areas of work span over the entire spectrum of cement manufacturing and usage-starting with geological exploration of raw materials through the processes, the machinery, the manufacturing aspects, energy and environmental considerations to the final utilisation of materials in actual construction, condition monitoring and rehabilitation of buildings and structures.

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UltraTech Cement Expands in Andhra Pradesh with Rs. 26.5 bn

Petnikota plant adds 3.6 MTPA cement dispatch capacity

Published

1 day ago

October 23, 2026

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UltraTech Cement has expanded its manufacturing footprint in Andhra Pradesh with the commissioning of Petnikota Cement Works, an integrated cement plant built with an investment of around Rs. 26.5 bn. The facility is located in Petnikota village in Kolimigundla mandal of Nandyal district, in the Rayalaseema region.

Construction of the plant began in May 2025. The facility has a clinkerisation capacity of 3.3 MTPA and a cement dispatch capacity of 3.6 MTPA, strengthening the company’s production and distribution presence in the State.

The plant is expected to provide direct employment to 650 people and indirect employment to another 2,000. It has been designed to operate entirely on green energy and does not have a captive thermal power plant. The project also uses no groundwater, according to information released by the Andhra Pradesh Government.

Nara Lokesh, Andhra Pradesh Minister for Information Technology, said in the release that the facility was taken from groundbreaking to commissioning in 14 months. He described the project as a state-of-the-art addition to the company’s operations in the State and said it would create 2,650 direct and indirect employment opportunities.

Petnikota Cement Works adds to UltraTech Cement’s manufacturing capacity in Andhra Pradesh while supporting industrial activity in Nandyal district. The plant’s energy design and stated groundwater-use policy are also intended to reduce the environmental impact of its operations. The company has identified the facility as part of its continuing capacity expansion in the Indian cement market.

Concrete

Nuvoco reports 13.5% revenue growth in Q2 FY27

Cement sales rose 9% to 4.7 MMT, while EBITDA increased 11%.

Published

1 day ago

October 23, 2026

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Nuvoco Vistas Corp. Ltd. reported consolidated revenue of Rs 27.9 billion for Q2 FY27, up 13.5% year on year. Cement sales volume rose 9% to 4.7 million tonnes (MMT), while EBITDA increased 11% to Rs 4.11 billion.

The company said it began its cement operations in 2014 with a 2.3 MMT per annum (MMTPA) operation at Nimbol. It now aims to reach 35 MMTPA of cement capacity by FY28, nearly 15 times its initial capacity. Its portfolio spans cement, ready-mix concrete and modern building materials.

On sustainability and cost efficiency, Nuvoco partnered with CleanMax for a 46.4 MW wind-solar hybrid renewable energy project in Rajasthan. Once operational, the project is expected to generate about 100 million units of renewable electricity annually. The company expects it to reduce reliance on conventional power sources and improve long-term cost certainty across its Rajasthan operations.

Jayakumar Krishnaswamy, Managing Director, Nuvoco Vistas Corp. Ltd., said, “Q2 FY27 was a testament to resilient execution in a challenging operating environment. Despite intense and erratic rainfall in our key markets, global and regional logistics & supply chain disruptions, and elevated input costs stemming from ongoing geopolitical uncertainty, the Company delivered strong YoY growth in Revenue, EBITDA, and PAT. Our performance reflects the strength of our strategic levers of premiumisation and geographical mix optimisation, which helped realisations amid muted cement prices.”

He added, “During the quarter, the Company achieved a significant growth milestone with the successful commissioning of the 2 MMTPA Grinding Unit at Limla, Surat, underscoring our strong project execution capabilities. This achievement reinforces our confidence in delivering the remaining modules of the Vadraj Cement Project at Kutch and Sachana within the planned timelines. Looking ahead, while we remain mindful of evolving macroeconomic and geopolitical dynamics, we remain focused on operational excellence, accelerating premiumisation, optimising supply chain efficiencies, and executing our growth projects as planned.

Concrete

Meghalaya Cabinet Approves MCCL Closure, Writes Off Rs. 244.3 mn

Cabinet approves winding up of state-owned cement company

Published

5 days ago

October 19, 2026

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The Meghalaya Cabinet has approved the closure and winding up of Meghalaya Cherra Cement (MCCL), a state-owned cement company, with pending liabilities of approximately Rs. 244.3 mn to be written off as part of the process. The decision was announced by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on October 13, 2026.

The approved write-off comprises about Rs. 89 mn in sales tax dues and Rs. 155.3 mn in royalty dues. The Cabinet’s decision addresses the liabilities that remained after the company’s operations and enables the government to proceed with its formal closure.

Sangma said employee dues owed by MCCL had been settled in line with the state government’s commitment. The settlement of employee-related liabilities is a key part of the winding-up process and removes outstanding obligations to the company’s workforce.

The Chief Minister explained that MCCL is owned by the government, meaning the pending liabilities would otherwise involve transfers between the state government and its departments. Writing off the dues is intended to simplify the accounting and administrative steps required to complete the closure.

The decision is also intended to ensure that the winding-up does not create an additional financial burden for the state government. With employee payments settled and the sales tax and royalty liabilities addressed through the approved write-off, the Cabinet’s approval marks a further step towards completing the formal closure of MCCL.

The action follows the state government’s decision to discontinue the company and resolve its outstanding obligations through an orderly winding-up process. The approved measures cover the principal liabilities identified for settlement and allow the government to advance the remaining formal procedures associated with closing the state-owned enterprise.