Gypsum industry news

UK: Durham County Council has granted Agricore permanent permission for its Hill Top Farm gypsum wallboard recycling plant near Darlington, County Durham. The Darlington and Stockton Times newspaper has reported that the gypsum producer had previously held permission on a five-year basis.

Locals in the rural former coal mining area had appealed against the application. Many of the 110 complainants claimed that heavy traffic had rendered a local lane dangerous to walk and cycle on. Agricore sells gypsum to local farmers for use as fertiliser.

The county council required that the company submit plans for a power supply transition from diesel generators to ‘a more sustainable alternative’ before 3 September 2020.

China: France-based Saint-Gobain plans to establish ten gypsum wallboard plants under the Communist Party of China (CPC)’s 14^th five-year plan. China Daily News has reported that the move aims to ramp up production capacity in order to meet growing gypsum wallboard demand. In 2021 building materials company intends to open two more units to produce calcined gypsum in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province and Huzhou, Zhejiang Province respectively.

Asia-Pacific regional senior vice-president and chief executive officer (CEO) Javier Gimeno said, “China has recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic in an exceptional manner. We have seen the quick recovery of the Chinese economy and the many industries that we serve. In our segment, the Asia-Pacific region has remained largely positive in the third quarter, driven by the continued strong demand in China." He added, “Our business growth in China is linked with the development of the Chinese society and the growth of China's middle-income earners, who are more demanding in terms of quality and performance of products.”

Oman: Oman’s gypsum exports fell by 4% year-on-year to 4.99Mt in the first seven months of 2020 from 5.20Mt in the same period in 2019. However, data from Zawawi Minerals shows that exports picked up by 28.7% year-on-year to 1.14Mt in July 2020 from 0.89Mt in July 2019. The government allowed industry to reopen in late June 2020 following a coronavirus-related lockdown.

Oman: The Ministry of Municipalities and Regional Resources says that commercial and industrial activities including gypsum manufacturing and installation can re-start operating following a coronavirus-related lockdown. The latest group of activities cleared to reopen covers over 50 commercial and industrial activities, according to the Times of Oman newspaper. The government initially implemented a lockdown in Muscat in early April 2020.

UK: Planning permission has been granted by Newport City Council for a new gypsum wallboard plant to be built by Associated British Ports (ABP). The unit will be built on empty land to the south west of Newport Dock’s South Dock, according to the South Wales Argus newspaper. The building will be up to 202m long and 110m wide, with a maximum height of 21m. Gypsum for the plant will be delivered by ship. The project is expected to create up to 70 jobs. Once complete, the facility will be leased to a manufacturer by ABP.

Armenia: The government has included cement production under a list of permitted economic activities able to resume from 16 April 2020. Azbarez News has reported that the present lockdown is scheduled to continue until 15 May 2020.

Australia: Boral has reported that, in most jurisdictions, its activities are currently considered to be within the critical infrastructure and construction sectors that are permitted and encouraged to continue as essential businesses. This includes Boral’s US Fly Ash business, which provides an essential service to the energy sector. In some areas however, particularly in North America and Asia, more stringent mandates and restrictions have resulted in temporary closures of several operations.

In addition, demand is declining in most markets and is expected to continue to decline, particularly in residential construction markets where the pipeline of work is substantially reducing in all geographies.

As a result, where it has sufficient inventory levels to supply customers, production curtailments are planned and are now taking place, including shift reductions and temporary plant closures. Boral says that these actions will help to conserve cash and minimise any unintended inventory build-up.

Boral is supporting employees impacted by temporary closures with access to paid leave, unpaid leave, flexible and remote working arrangements (where possible) and assistance with accessing relevant government support.

Thailand: The Department of Primary Industries and Mines (DPIM) has lowered Thailand’s gypsum export quota to 6.0Mt in 2020, the same as in 2019 and down by 17% from it original 2020 quota of 7.0Mt.

Thailand’s 2019 gypsum exports were 5.04Mt.

US: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will be receiving public comment until 6 Feb 2020 on Eagle Materials' proposed 100 acre expansion of its 830 acre mine near Gypsum in Eagle County, Colorado. The mine supplies gypsum to its 67Mm2-capacity Eagle Materials gypsum wallboard plant in gypsum. BLM Colorado River Valley field manager Larry Sandoval said, “Responsible mineral development is part of BLM’s multiple-use mission,” according to RealVail newspaper.

US: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (FSEIS) for US Gypsum’s proposed upgrades to its Split Mountain quarry near Plaster City. Imperial Valley Press has reported that the FSEIS will provide the basis for the BLM’s decision as to how much if any of the proposed US$110m’s-worth upgrade to grant clearance to proceed with. US Gypsum’s plans consist of a new water line and associated buried electrical lines between the quarry and its Plaster City plant and a water line between the plant and the Imperial Irrigation District's Westside Main Canal.