Gypsum industry news

Australia: Cohiba Minerals has received notification that it has successfully secured a 5-year extension of its exploration licence for its Pyramid Lake gypsum mine in south-western Western Australia. The new lease will expire on 4 July 2026.

The company says that it has recommenced its application for a mining lease for the high-grade area of the Pyramid Lake mine, which is not covered by its present lease. It says that it had previously delayed the process due to a change in its application conditions.

Cohiba Minerals previously announced the planned expansion in December 2020 as part of a countrywide expansion of its extraction activities, towards which it was raising US$1.5m through a share purchase plan.

World: Market researcher Future Market Insights (FMI) has estimated that the global market for gypsum for all applications will record a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5% between 2022 and 2030. FMI said that this will be due to a global rise in construction, driven by digitisation and technological advances. In order for growth to return, economic activity must first return to ‘normal’ in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak, according to FMI.

Research agency Technavio has also given its forecast for growth in the synthetic gypsum market between 2020 and 2024. It has predicted a CAGR of 4%, with total growth of US$320m over the period.

US: The government of DeSoto County in Mississippi has approved new rules banning the establishment of new phosphogypsum stacks in the county. The Port North Sun newspaper has reported that county commissioners unanimously approved the ordinance at a meeting on 26 October 2021.

Phosphate and potash producer Mosaic owns 9310ha of the county’s land area, of which it is seeking mining licences to cover 5670ha.

Commissioner Elton Langford described the ban as ‘preventative.’ According to the county’s Public Information Office, there were no pending gypsum stack licence applications in DeSoto County on 26 October 2021.

US: Mineral Technologies has estimated that its total full-year gypsum and lime products sales will rise by 6% year-on-year in 2021 to US$330m from US$310m in 2020. It attributed the anticipated rise to a reordering of its operations away from restrictive Covid-19 containment measures and the return of demand growth to its markets. Business Research Company Reports has reported that the global lime and gypsum products market was worth US$55.2bn in 2020, of which Mineral Technologies held a 0.6% share.

US: Cameron Ashley Building Products has opened its new Denver, Colorado, distribution centre, which will stock gypsum wallboard.

Manager Chase White said “I’m excited to join the Cameron Ashley team in the Denver market.” He added “We’re ready to hit the ground running, providing top quality products to a new group of customers.”