John-Paul Iwuoha’s Post

Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia welcomes the release of the Queensland Quarry Demand and Supply Risks report by the Department of Resources (Queensland). Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia valued working with the Department of Resources (Queensland) on the report, which will enhance the industry's understanding of the demand and supply risks for quarry materials in Queensland. The report predicts the Government's Big Build and housing program combined with the Olympic Games and renewable energy infrastructure investment will drive unprecedented demand for construction materials. Oxford Economics Australia also anticipates that total direct investment for the Brisbane Olympics will exceed $10 billion. With Queensland's deep pool of public works set for the back half of the decade, competition for resources will be intense, especially considering large public pipelines in other states. https://lnkd.in/gzSFACXP As Infrastructure Australia identified in the 2023 Market Capacity Report: “In South East Queensland, increased infrastructure demand fuelled by population growth and the Brisbane 2032 Olympics will exert pressure on local quarry reserves for the next decade”. The Department's proposed actions of additional data collection and further analysis will further clarify the supply situation in the medium term. In the short term, there remains a risk of supply being unable to increase to meet this increasing demand. Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia will continue to advocate for Government to develop a Heavy Construction Materials Plan that will deliver development approval and planning reforms to overcome these barriers. An efficient supply chain helps deliver affordable infrastructure, building Queensland and creating jobs. #infrastructure #heavyconstructionmaterials #supplychain https://lnkd.in/gAtTuzbY

A different country but a strangely familiar story where the supply of construction materials is not keeping up with demand. The recent UK Mineral Products Association survey shows the availability of essential minerals is fast approaching a cliff-edge. If the long-term trend of diminishing reserves from local domestic sources continues, it is inevitable that the tensions involved in maintaining future supply will be exacerbated. In turn, this will result in increased costs to supply, but also increased energy consumption and emissions, as materials will have to be transported over ever-growing distances to fulfil demand. For the full report https://lnkd.in/g8G38ews

News: Construction boom leads to cement shortage in Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan: Amidst a nationwide construction boom, Kyrgyzstan faces a cement shortage in its northern regions... #cement Read the full story here: https://lnkd.in/eJT9H4Qe

𝗞𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗥𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗮) 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁 During the working visit to the concrete plant "Beraz" the Governor was informed on how the production of reinforced concrete products is expanding in Kostroma nowadays. During the meeting Vadim Kozyrev, the plant manager, emphasized that today the volume of construction works is growing both in the Kostroma region and all over the country. In this regard, there is a great demand to increase the supply of main construction materials, cement in particular. Launching a cement plant would improve the construction capacities of the Kostroma region, and would also be in demand for constructors from other regions. "Nowadays, of course, we do not have enough cement. We get cement from Lipetsk, Belgorod, Stary Oskol, Mordovia. It is easier in winter. But in summer it is very difficult to supply cement. We pay for all supplies two months in advance, and it is about 60 million rubles, which we always set aside for this purpose. And now in the Kostroma region there is a place where it is possible to build a cement plant, which has the necessary raw material supply - Soligalich", - said Vadim Kozyrev. Governor Sergey Sitnikov emphasized that the construction of cement plant in the Kostroma region is one of the important aspects of development of the construction industry in this area. The administration of Soligalich district is working out the prospects of such production with a foreign investor. The project realization will become possible when the local municipality receives gas supplies. 𝑳𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆: https://lnkd.in/eBfVxgjj Source: Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia

Australia’s Concrete Market   The below graph is from Macromonitor (a construction industry forecasting group). Concrete demand in Australia has grown by on average 2.4% p.a. since the late 1970s, whilst the expectation going forward into FY27 is for growth of about ~33,000m³ before declines in concrete demand are expected to occur. Cement, Concrete & Aggregates Australia (CCAA) also publish some interesting statistics regarding the use of concrete and associated construction material products. Here are a few to demonstrate the sheer size of the ~$15bn construction materials industry: - Every Australian requires ~8 tonnes of stone, sand and gravel (known as construction aggregates) every year to build the roads, houses and other infrastructure we need. - It takes ~110 tonnes of construction aggregates and ~53m³ of concrete to build an average new house in Australia. - To build one kilometre of a two-lane highway requires ~14,000 tonnes (or 400 truckloads) of construction aggregates. #chartoftheweek #naos #concretedemand #cement #concrete #aggregates #statistics #constructionindustry

The Critical Role of Sand and Quarries in Sydney’s Infrastructure Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia had a site visit to PF Formation – a sand mining operation in Maroota, Sydney’s Hills District. The Maroota area has two distinct sands types known as ‘friable sandstone’ (bricklaying sand) and ‘tertiary sand’ (concrete related products). PF Formation supplies both sand types to the market. As Sydney continues to grow, the importance of sand and sand quarries in the construction and infrastructure sectors cannot be overstated. Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia advocates for an integrated NSW Heavy Construction Materials Plan to ensure the sustainable, reliable, and affordable supply of these essential materials. https://lnkd.in/ge5cR3Fj Why is this plan crucial? The NSW construction industry, valued at $56 billion, employs 370,000 workers and contributes 45% to the state’s taxation revenue. Yet, as we look to the future, we face a pressing demand for at least 500 million tonnes of quarry products by 2036 to meet the needs of the Greater Sydney Region. Currently, we lack a cohesive strategy for sourcing the building blocks necessary for housing, infrastructure, and renewable energy projects. This gap has led to several challenges: . Insufficient approvals for natural sand quarries, with reserves projected to run out by 2030. . Increased haulage costs and emissions due to quarries located far from demand. . The Independent Planning Commission often refusing quarry applications due to a lack of planning guidance. A comprehensive Heavy Construction Materials Plan should address these issues by ensuring proximity to supply, protecting extractive resources, and streamlining the licensing process. Additionally, it must facilitate the circular economy by promoting the reprocessing of concrete demolition waste. By prioritising the sustainable supply of sand and other construction materials, we can support the ongoing development of NSW and build a resilient future for our communities. Let’s advocate for the resources that underpin our infrastructure and economy! Jason Kuchel Luke Graham Michael Kilgariff and Josh Graham. #Construction #Sustainability #NSW #SandQuarries #Infrastructure #BuildingTheFuture

The Teesta Low dams (TLD3 at Rambi Bazar and TLD4 at Kalijhora Bazar) have created long reservoirs along what was once the lower Teesta River Valley, before the river reaches the plains at Sevoke. These reservoirs have replaced the previous white-water rapids with deep waters, reaching depths of up to 25 meters in the valley bottom. The immense pressure from the water column forces water into the foot slopes of the hills forming the valley, altering the soil’s composition and stability. NH10, which connects Sevoke to Sikkim at Rangpo, serves as the lifeline to the state of Sikkim, and has been heavily impacted by these changes. For much of its 55-kilometer stretch between Sevoke (West Bengal) and Rangpo (Sikkim), the highway runs right alongside the now-dammed river, with 25 kilometers of the road directly adjacent to the river. From a soil physics perspective, NH10 is at a dead end, post the construction of these dams between 2003-2006, the entire stretch of soil at the base of the hillslopes and the valley floor between Kalijhora and Tribeni is water saturated. Even if the dams were removed and the reservoirs drained, this would not solve the problem in the short term, as significant subsidence events would likely occur. Once soil layers become saturated, predicting liquefaction and structural failure under load becomes exceedingly difficult. While stabilization is possible, it is a process that will likely take several decades. For 15 years, the dams have been subjecting the foot slopes and valley soils to pressures of around 3-5 bars. There is very little understanding of how this prolonged pressure has affected the weak phyllosilicate rock layers in the region or how it has altered their capacity to withstand standard shear stresses, which differ from their original mineralogical values. Additionally, the perched and fractured water tables typical of mountainous regions have also been affected by the pressurized water infiltrating the buried soil layers from the reservoirs. The solution requires a completely different approach to road usage and loading, along with a new regime for slope stabilization, based on saturated soil loading values. This may not have been adequately considered in the past, given the steep 30-50 degree road cuts observed in the region since 2015. Less steep cuts require more extensive earthwork, which increases costs, making them less appealing to designers and contractors. However, gentler road cuts are more stable, as they are less prone to landslides when the soil becomes saturated with rainwater. It is now crucial to limit heavy vehicles on NH10, reduce the road-cut slopes wherever possible, and reinforce the hillsides both above and below the road. Beyond these measures, there is little that can be done to save the road, even if the dams are decommissioned and the reservoirs drained. A long-term plan to protect this vital lifeline for Sikkim is urgently needed. Let us hope one is implemented soon.

Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia (CCAA) has outlined its election policy priorities ahead of the 2025 election in Western Australia.   Michael Kilgariff explained the need for a heavy construction materials plan and how it would potentially support the industry in WA. 🗞️ Story: https://lnkd.in/g7quEzHa Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia | #quarry | #constructionmaterials | #infrastructure | #aggregates | #concrete | #cement | #australia | #westernaustralia | #planning | #regulation | #legislation

The recent surge in cement prices in #Nigeria has rattled many, leading to a spate of #abandoned construction projects across the country. Despite assurances from #manufacturers to maintain prices between N7,000 and N8,000 per bag, #cement is currently selling for between N10,000 and N13,000, depending on the region. https://lnkd.in/d6SFjhmt

This is an important and interesting read from the Mineral Products Association. Every person in the UK uses the equivalent of 4 tonnes of aggregates a year but permitted reserves are dwindling. If the industry is to help the Government deliver its future housing and infrastructure plans, securing planning permission at a local level in a timely way is key. #hellofuture #HeidelbergMaterialsUK #essentialmaterials #planning #aggregate