Ceramic and glass business news of the week for October 25, 2021

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

Kyocera to build two new plants for ceramic components supporting IoT, 5G

Kyocera Corporation announced it will construct two additional production facilities at its Kokubu Plant Campus in Kagoshima, Japan. The new facilities will double the campus’ production capacity for fine ceramic components used in semiconductor manufacturing equipment, while securing space for other manufacturing as Kyocera’s business expands.

Stoelzle invests ¢22 million in Austrian glassworks

Stoelzle Glass Group is investing ¢22 million in its Austrian site of Stoelzle Oberglas in Köflach this autumn. The demolition of the previous flint glass furnace started this month, and the larger furnace will be constructed in eight weeks. It will have a daily capacity of around 270 tons.

New cement manufacturing facility to open in Guyana

Global Infrastructure Solutions Guyana Inc, an engineering, procurement, and construction firm, entered a joint venture with Unidome Global DWC LLC of the United Arab Emirates for the construction of a 20,000-square-foot concrete manufacturing facility in Guyana.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

RHI Magnesita to become majority shareholder in Sormas Refrakter

Sormas Refrakter agreed to sell 85% of its shares to RHI Magnesita for 38.8 million €. The Turkey-based refractory manufacturer has a production capacity of 60,000 tonnes/yr. The companies expect to conclude the deal in the first half of 2022.

Votorantim Cimentos completes Cementos Balboa acquisition

Brazil-based Votorantim Cimentos, through its Spanish subsidiary Corporación Noroeste, announced the acquisition of Cementos Balboa. Cementos Balboa has a modern integrated cement plant located in Alconera. With this facility, Votorantim Cimentos complements its current operations in Spain and expects to increase its operational efficiencies.

Saint-Gobain enters the construction chemicals market in Mexico

Saint-Gobain entered into an agreement to acquire IMPAC, a leader in construction chemicals solutions in Mexico. This acquisition aims to both strengthen Saint-Gobain’s leadership in Latin America and accelerate its growth in the region by enriching its range of solutions for light and sustainable construction.

Greece, Egypt sign MoU to link their power grids

Greece and Egypt signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a new subsea electricity line connecting their power systems. The power link, if built, could provide a route for African solar energy to reach European markets.

OTHER STORIES

Virtual event: Exploring the role of engineering in addressing climate change

ERVA is a National Science Foundation-funded organization charged with convening experts across a range of disciplines to collaboratively identify bold and transformative engineering research directions. ERVA is hosting its first visioning event on Dec. 7–8, 2021, to identify researchers to explore the role of engineering in addressing climate change.

DOE announces new $2.5 million prize to support diversity in innovation

The U.S. Department of Energy launched the new Inclusive Energy Innovation Prize that will award up to $2.5 million in cash prizes to groups and organizations supporting entrepreneurship and innovation in communities historically underserved in climate and energy technology funding.

MARKET TRENDS

Japan aims for 36–38% of energy to come from renewables by 2030

Japan set an ambitious target for renewable energy in the nation’s electricity mix by 2030. Under the plan, renewables should account for 36–38% of power supplies in 2030, double 2019’s level and well above its previous 2030 target for 22–24%.

Saudi Arabia wants to be top supplier of hydrogen

Saudi Arabia wants to be the biggest supplier of hydrogen, the country’s Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman al-Saud said.The world’s biggest oil exporter intends to produce and export about 4 million tons of hydrogen by 2030.

Solar energy can be cheap and reliable across China by 2060

Researchers from Harvard, Tsinghua University, Nankai University, and Renmin University of China found that solar energy could provide 43.2% of China’s electricity demands in 2060 at less than two-and-a-half U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour. For comparison, coal power tariffs in China ranged 3.6 to 6.5 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2019.