Gypsum industry news

Oman: Oman exported 8.75Mt of gypsum in the first nine months of 2023, a rise of 23% year-on-year from 7.09Mt in the same period in 2022. Data from Oman-based Zawawi Minerals shows that 48% of exports were sent to India.

US: Data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) show that the sale of gypsum board products fell by 5% to 1.25Bnm² in the first half of 2023, from 1.31Bnm² in the same period in 2022. The total supply of crude gypsum grew by 9% to 20.4Mt. Notably, supplies of imported and synthetic gypsum increased in the reporting period. However, the USGS noted that on a quarterly basis “...variances are often the result of differences in weather conditions, which can impede or encourage construction activities, coupled with market demands that are often driven by residential and commercial building activity. Use of uncalcined gypsum remained stable, but consumption of calcined gypsum fell by 33% to 7.86Mt, due to reduced utilisation in board products. Spain, Canada and Mexico remained the main sources of import of crude gypsum. However, imports from Türkiye more than doubled to 195,000t.

Germany: Knauf Gips has started an upgrade at its Iphofen gypsum wallboard plant to switch its use of synthetic gypsum to natural gypsum. The project is taking place to prepare the unit for the local phase out of coal-fired power plants by 2038 at the latest. Early work at the site has involved using a 700t crane to lift material over the Würzburg-Nuremberg railway line, during planned renovation to the transport link in late July 2023. The company described the cost of the upgrade as a “mid-double-digit million sum.”

Oman: Producers and exporters despatched 9.9Mt of gypsum from Oman in 2022. The figure corresponds to year-on-year growth of 13% from 8.74Mt in 2021. The Oman Daily Observer newspaper has reported that India received 4.84Mt (49%) of Omani gypsum exports during the year. This accounts for 87% of the South Asian nation's total gypsum imports, of 5.54Mt, in 2022. The total figure shows a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17% between 2009 and 2022. The market's forecast CAGR up to 2037 is 5.2%.

The Indian cement industry, which reportedly relies on the dwindling domestic stock of phosphogypsum, is anticipated an anticipated source of continued growth in demand.

France: Etex subsidiary Siniat plans to install a new boiler, fired by either solid recovered fuel (SRF) or waste wood, at its Auneuil gypsum wallboard plant in Oise Department. The producer expects this to reduce the plant's gas consumption by 20%. The L'Usine Nouvelle newspaper has reported that the project is part of a planned Euro30m sustainability overhaul of equipment at the plant before 2026. Siniat recently brought the Auneuil plant back online following the installation of a new Euro15m dryer in early 2023, which increased wallboard drying times by 10% and reduced gas consumption by 20%. The producer said that this has eliminated 5900t/yr of CO₂ emissions.

From the remaining Euro3m of its allotted budget for sustainability upgrades, Siniat will build a gypsum recycling plant at the Auneuil gypsum wallboard plant. It currently receives its recycled gypsum from Ritleng Revalorisations' gypsum recycling plant in Rohr, Bas-Rhin Department. Currently, natural gypsum from the Le Pin-Villeparisis and Montmorency mines accounts for 40 - 60% of the Auneuil plant' gypsum consumption.

Philippines: Knauf Gypsum Philippines has petitioned the Philippines Tariff Commission to reduce the import duty on imports of Omani gypsum to 0% of value. Currently, Oman’s gypsum enjoys a most favoured nation (MFN) reduced tariff rate of 3%. The Oman Daily Observer newspaper has reported that high gypsum wallboard demand has created short supply of gypsum in the Philippines, according to Knauf Gypsum Philippines. Beside the company’s wallboard operations, the raw material is also critical to cement production in the country.

The Philippines receives a minor share of Oman’s 8.74Mt/yr of natural gypsum exports. The Southeast Asian country has a housing backlog of 6m units.

Azerbaijan: Azerbaijan produced 42,600t of construction gypsum during 2022, up by 15% year-on-year from 2021 levels. There was 1900t of construction gypsum in warehouses at the end of the year.

The total value of building materials produced in Azerbaijan rose by 13% year-on-year in 2022, to US$635m.

France: A public enquiry into Saint-Gobain subsidiary Placoplatre's plans to establish a gypsum quarry at Fort Vaujours, Seine-Saint-Denis, opened earlier in November 2022. The producer plans to use the new site to serve its Vaujours gypsum wallboard plant as a replacement for its Bernouille quarry after the latter closes in 2026. The 65Mm²/yr facility consumes 900,000t/yr of natural gypsum.

Eco group Environnement 93 has protested the anticipated enviromental impacts of opening a quarry of sufficient size to reach the gypsum deposit 25m below ground. Placoplatre's proposal consists of a three-stage approach in which it demolishes buildings, clears any hazardous residues from the site's military and nuclear power testing history and only then commences extraction. The company plans to restore part of the site after mining is completed. The enquiry will run until 23 December 2022.

UK: The European Space Agency, University of Glasgow and others are using France-based Saint-Gobain's Bantycock, Nottinghamshire, quarry to test new drill bit designs for their Drill for Extensive Exploration of Planetary Environments Using Robots (DEEPER) project. The project aims to develop tens-of-metres-long spoolable drill 'strings' to help in the search for water on Mars. Researchers will use their prototypes to drill directly into the mine's gypsum deposits. Saint-Gobain said that the hydrated mineral gypsum provides a similar geological profile to that of Mars.

Gypsum wallboard production by Saint-Gobain subsidiary British Gypsum at its nearby Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire, and East Leake, Nottinghamshire, gypsum wallboard plants relies on Bantycock gypsum.

Nigeria: State governor Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya opened the Gombe State Investment Summit in the northeastern state of Gombe on 12 October 2022. The summit aims to attract investors from within and outside of Nigeria. The state government hopes that local mineral reserves and the state's strategic location will appeal to investors from new industries to the state, including the gypsum wallboard industry.

The This Day newspaper has reported that Yahaya said “We have the largest deposits of gypsum in the country." He continued “Gombe is also blessed with huge commercial deposits of coal, oil, and gas."