UK: N+P has expanded its footprint in Northeast England through the acquisition of Niramax Group. Niramax Group operates a 300,000t/yr solid recovered fuel (SRF) plant in Hartlepool, County Durham. The newly acquired subsidiary will henceforth operate as N+P Hartlepool MRF. N+P already operates a Subcoal SRF plant in nearby Stockton-on-Tees. It aims to increase its total number of plants to 15 from five across the UK and the Netherlands by 2028.

Chief executive officer Karel Jennissen said “We are delighted to have completed this acquisition and look forward to welcoming the workforce to the N+P family. This site is part of a pipeline of acquisitions being undertaken that began with Crayford MRF last year, the largest recycling plant in the UK, and this is a key part of our growth strategy alongside building new greenfield operations. In addition to its existing activities, Hartlepool will become a hub for N+P’s research and development, which will aim to deliver further innovations to the waste market in order to improve the environmental outcomes of waste treatment and further improve recycling rates.”

Egypt: Heidelberg Materials subsidiary Suez Cement has invested US$16m in upgrading its operations towards increased alternative fuel (AF) use since 2010. The producer uses AF in the burners and kilns of all three of its cement plants, at Helwan, Kattameya and Suez. Meanwhile, Suez Cement has invested US$60m in dust control measures over the same period. Other on-going investments include US$25m in the construction of a waste heat recovery (WHR) plant at the Helwan cement plant. The company is committed to reaching a 24% reduction in its CO₂ emissions between 2019 and 2030.

Technical director Omar Khorshid said “We are committed to pursue initiatives to broaden our range of innovative and eco-friendly building solutions, advance operational efficiency through digitalisation and strengthen customer engagement for better business results and more positive impact."

Laos/Indonesia: Thailand-based UAC Global plans to invest US$2.89m in an upgrade to its Khammouane refuse-derived fuel (RDF) plant. The plant will supply RDF to Siam Cement Group (SCG) for use in its operations in the country.

The Bangkok Post newspaper has reported that UAC Global plans to build a US$5.78m RDF plant in Sukabumi, Indonesia. The plant will use 73,000t/yr of municipal solid waste (MSW), in addition to waste recovered from a 500,000t-capacity landfill site.

US: Holcim US has inaugurated a waste tyre processing plant at its Alpena cement plant in Michigan. The facility will process 22,000t/yr of tyres into refuse-derived fuel (RDF) for use at the cement plant. Holcim US partner Geocycle will collect, pre-process and deliver the tyres to the new facility.

Holcim US’ North regional senior vice president of manufacturing Michael Nixon said "Holcim has invested more than US$100m in eco-friendly technologies at the Alpena plant in the past 15 years. The tyre-derived fuel facility is another strong demonstration of our commitment to reducing emissions."