Vietnam: The government will allocate greenhouse gas emission quotas to cement and steel plants and thermal power facilities by 31 December 2025, following a new decree issued on 9 June 2025, which takes effect on 1 August 2025. These facilities will receive quotas during the 2025–2026 period. The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, in coordination with the ministries of industry and trade and construction, will lead the pilot proposal process and submit total allowable emissions to the prime minister for approval. Quotas for each plant must be finalised by the end of 2025. From 2027, ministries will propose lists of facilities and quotas for 2027–2028 and 2029–2030, with submissions due by 30 June of the first year of each period. The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment will allocate quotas by 31 October annually once approved. Quotas will be based on emission intensity per unit of product, industry growth targets and each facility’s potential to reduce emissions. Facilities may trade quotas and carbon credits on the national market. The decree also revises rules on trading, borrowing, transferring and surrendering quotas. Facilities must surrender quotas equal to verified emissions, minus carbon credit offsets, by 31 December following each compliance period. Penalties and future deductions will apply to those who fail. /Global Cement

US: Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed an AI tool to compare studies of alternative raw materials for cement production. A collaborative team from the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub and MIT s recycling research programme, Olivetti Group, published its findings in the Nature journal. The team mined 5.7m academic publications to identify 14,434 alternative raw materials. These belonged to 19 types, including bottom ashes, fly ashes, calcined clays and slags, as well as less homogenous types such as biomass ashes, glasses and mine tailings. The study more than doubles the number of fly ashes and slags recorded on a database of this kind. The tool then provides a unified assessment of cementitious reactivity and pozzolanicity, also accounting for variables in particle size and amorphous content. /Global Cement

India: 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. /Global Cement

Myanmar: An Indian Navy vessel, the UMS Myitkyina, arrived at Thilawa (MITT) port on 23 May 2025, carrying 225t of cement donated by the Indian government to support reconstruction efforts after the March 2025 earthquake, according to the Global Light of Myanmar newspaper. A handover ceremony for the 4500 50kg bags of cement took place later that afternoon. The Yangon Region government supervised the transfer of the cement onto cargo trucks for distribution to affected areas. /Global Cement

India: Adani Group has reported record earnings for the 2025 financial year (FY2025), which ended on 31 March 2025. It finished the 12 month period with consolidated earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of US$10.5bn across all of its operations. This represented a 8% rise year-on-year, and was mainly driven by continued expansion in the conglomerate’s infrastructure sectors. Cement sales from its subsidiaries Ambuja Cement and ACC rose to more than 100Mt following expansions at several plants. It has plans to invest US$100bn across all of the sectors it is involved in, including ports, mining, cement, steel, power and more, by 2031. “India’s consumption engine remains strong,” said Karan Adani, CEO of Adani Ports & SEZ and chair of ACC. “As manufacturing grows, trade volumes will surge.” /Global Cement

Nigeria: A court in Lagos has found that it has jurisdiction to hear a suit filed by Strategic Consultancy against the sale of an 84% stake in Lafarge Africa by Holcim to Huaxin Cement. Lafarge Africa submitted the unsuccessful challenge to the court’s jurisdiction. This Day News has reported that the court also ordered the joinder of Netherlands-based Caricement and UK-based Associated International Cements as defendants. Strategic Consultancy alleges that the sale bypassed minority shareholders, in violation of Nigerian law. Proceedings will continue on 11 June 2025.

India: Shree Cement recorded sales of US$2.38bn in the 2025 financial year, down by 5.5% year-on-year. Operating expenses increased by 2.9% to US$2.17bn, resulting in earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of US$528m, down by 12% year-on-year. Net profit dropped by 50% to US$141m. Shree Cement said that the fourth quarter of the 2025 financial year brought cement sales of 9.84Mt, up by 3.3% year-on-year from 9.53Mt in the fourth quarter of the 2024 financial year. Premium products contributed 16% of sales. /Global Cement

Uganda: Hima Cement has said that over 50% of its fuel for cement production now comes from renewable biomass instead of heavy fuel oil (HFO). Head of regulatory affairs David Mugagga said that the biomass used to fuel the kilns at Hima Cement’s plants is sourced from coffee husks, palm kernels, rice husks and sawdust. Mugagga also said that the company collects hazardous waste to use as fuel, reducing the amount that goes to landfill./Global Cement

Iraq: Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani has launched six industrial projects worth US$1.17bn in Muthanna province, including five cement plants. According to Iraqi News, Al-Sudani initiated commercial operations at the 6000t/day Najmat Al-Samawa Cement Plant 2, and launched construction of Al-Arabi, Khairat Al-Muthanna, Al-Ittihad and, each with a capacity of 6000t/day. The 6600t/day Al-Samawa cement plant has also commenced construction. Al-Sudani said that the main objective of the current projects is to secure the needs of the local market and stop imports. The government is reportedly constructing residential complexes in Baghdad and other provinces, where there are more than a million housing units. 200,000 housing units are also being built in seven large residential communities. /Global Cement

Ghana: CBI Ghana has invested US$100m in a new plant in Tema to produce limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) using local raw materials, to reduce reliance on imported clinker. Commercial director of Supacem Kobby Adams said that the Ghana Standards Authority s adoption of the GS PAS 5:2024 LC3 standard enabled the launch, following collaboration with local universities and international partners. According to Graphic Business news, the current clinker scarcity and its escalating prices stemmed from a 6% currency depreciation between December 2024 and February 2025 and the evolving global market uncertainties, including an increase in clinker export prices from the Mediterranean. The project reportedly created over 160 direct jobs through local sourcing and infrastructure development in Tema and Torgome. /Global Cement

Türkiye: TSKB (Industrial Development Bank of Türkiye) has signed a €75m investment loan agreement with Oyak Cement to fund renewable energy and waste heat recovery (WHR) projects. The funding will support the construction of a 115MW solar power plant in Beypazarı, Ankara, and waste heat recovery facilities at the Ankara, Adana and Mardin cement plants. Oyak Cement general manager Murat Sela said “We have accelerated our investments for the Beypazarı solar power plant, as well as the WHR facility investments with a total installed capacity of 13.5 MW at our Adana, Ankara and Mardin plants. We expect these investments to help generate 237,000MW/yr of energy, while increasing the total renewable energy utilisation rate at our plants from 9% to 30%.” /Global Cement

India: The Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal has approved Vadraj Cement s acquisition by Nirma Group-owned cement producer Nuvoco Vistas. Gujarat-based Vadraj Cement, formerly owned by ABG Shipyard, has admitted liabilities of US$1.1bn, while Nuvoco Vistas proposes to pay US$209m to acquire the company through the bankruptcy process. Vadraj Cement operates grinding units in Surat, with a total capacity of 6Mt/yr, and a clinker plant of 3.5Mt/yr in Kutch, which mostly supplies the grinding plants. All assets are located in the state of Gujarat. The acquisition will increase Nuvoco Vistas cement capacity to around 31Mt/yr, making it the fifth-largest cement producer in India by installed capacity. Nuvoco Vistas won an auction for the business against other bidders, including JK Cement, JSW Cement, KIFS, RKG Fund and Orissa Metaliks. /Global Cement

Pakistan: Lucky Cement has successfully completed Pakistan s first ever clinker shipment to Brazil. Senior export manager Rafique Ahmed posted the news on social media, saying that the company had now expanded its global footprint and strengthened Pakistan s presence in international markets. /Global Cement

Tunisia: Wan Li, the Chinese Ambassador to Tunisia, has revealed that a Chinese company specialising in the cement sector is preparing to acquire a cement plant close to the capital city Tunis. The value of the transaction is reported to be more than US$100m. If completed, it would be the first Chinese investment in Tunisia in the 2020s. Li said "We are confident that this state-of-the-art company will introduce modern techniques and upgrade the plant s equipment, which will have a positive impact on the environment." He also assured that this acquisition will improve the productivity and efficiency of the cement plant. /Global Cement

Burkina Faso: Ibrahim Traoré, the President of Burkina Faso, inaugurated the Sino-Burkinabè Industrial Cement Company (CISINOB) in Laongo, Ziniaré on 20 March 2025. The grinding plant has a capacity of 0.75Mt/yr and cost US$43m. The unit will be expanded in a second later stage to reach a capacity of 1.2Mt/yr. /Global Cement