The Americas

Data released by the USGS reveals that shipments of Portland and blended cement in the US and Puerto Rico increased by 10% y/y in October 2014 to reach 9.6 million t.

The US Department of Energy’s Illinois Basin-Decatur project successfully captured and stored 1 million t of carbon dioxide and injected it into a deep saline formation.

According to Venezuela’s Minister of Communication and Information, the Venezuelan government will work with China to build three cement plants, each with a production capacity of 2500 tpd.

Both coal and limestone trade fell on the Great Lakes in November 2014 due to harsh weather conditions; the Lake Carriers’ Association has called for a second heavy icebreaker to help keep shipping lanes open during freezing weather.

Refractory company Plibrico has announced the addition of Cermin Cerámicos y Minerales S.A.S as its preferred exclusive agent in Ecuador and Colombia.

A report from business intelligence firm IBISWorld suggests that cement prices are likely to continue rising over the next three years, albeit at a slower pace.

According to data from the US Census Bureau, construction spending fell by 0.28% in November 2014, the first decline since June.

Grey cement dispatches on Colombia’s domestic market grew by 6.3% y/y in November, with production volumes up 10% in the first 11 months of the year.

The German company has reached an agreement with an American affiliate of Lone Star Funds. The transaction is expected to close in 1Q15.

These are the first regulations to provide for the safe disposal of coal combustion residuals from coal-fired power plants.

FLSmidth has been contracted to supply a 2800 tpd cement production line for Cemex’s new Cementera del Magdalena Medio cement plant.

Titan America’s Roanoke and Pennsuco cement plants have been recertified by the Wildlife Habitat Council under the ‘Wildlife at Work’ category.

Scientists have presented maps based on data collected by NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2. During its 2-year mission, the OCO-2 is tasked with locating sources of CO2 on Earth, as well as carbon storage places.

A round-up of some of this week’s key news items from the international cement industry, from expansion projects in Costa Rica to new contracts in India.

Cemex Latam Holdings has announced plans to increase the production capacity of its Colorado plant in Costa Rica to 1.1 million tpy by 2017.