UK: The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has welcomed the sale of plants by Lafarge Tarmac and Hanson.

In the Competition Commission's (CC) market investigation published in January 2014, the CC had ordered Lafarge Tarmac to sell one of two cement plants and Hanson to sell one of its ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) plants to enhance competition in the cement and GGBS markets in the UK. Lafarge Tarmac appealed the CC's decision to the Competition Appeal Tribunal. However, in December 2014, the European Commission cleared the merger between Lafarge and Holcim, provided it divest certain assets to a new market entrant. In accordance with those commitments, the Lafarge Tarmac business in the UK, with the exception of the Cauldon cement plant, was sold to CRH and the legal challenges brought by Lafarge Tarmac to the CC have been withdrawn.

In addition, Hanson completed the sale of its GGBS plant in Scunthorpe, as required by the CC's report, to Francis Flower on 31 July 2015. This news means that the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has completed the divestment remedies arising from the CC's report.

India: JSW Cement has ordered eight 90t/hr roller press slag grinding units from KHD Humboldt Wedag India Private Ltd (India) and KHD Humboldt Wedag GmbH (Germany) for its plants in India.

UK: Mineral resources company Francis Flower has announced the acquisition of the Scunthorpe ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) plant from Hanson Cement.

The business is capable of producing more than 500,000t/yr of GGBS and supplies customers in the Midlands and north of England. GGBS complements Francis Flower's existing range of high quality powdered minerals, which originate as by-products from various industries. This reduces the need for mineral extraction and landfill, delivering sustainable environmental solutions for its customers. The acquisition reflects both Francis Flower's commitment to developing its range of products and services in this sector and the credibility it has for making the most of mineral resources.

"We are absolutely delighted and very excited to announce this new acquisition. GGBS is an excellent fit to our existing product range and will help further our longstanding relationships in this sector," said Adrian Willmott, Chairman and CEO of Francis Flower. "We have a proven track record of making the most of mineral resources, reducing the need for mineral extraction as well as landfill and delivering sustainable solutions for our customers. We are very much looking forward to working with the team in Scunthorpe and developing the opportunities in the GGBS market as the UK construction sector continues to grow."

France: The slag heaps or 'terrils' of northern France, including the Loos-en-Gohelle terrils that are now recognised as a world heritage site by Unesco, are being transformed for alternative uses like nature trails or heritage sites. At Noeux-les-Mines, there is an artificial ski-slope, according to the BBC.

At the village of Rieulay, the Chevrerie des Terrils, Julien Graf grazes his flock of 40 animals in the biodiverse terril brush. "This is what they call a 'pioneer' environment; an ecosystem in which vegetation is just beginning to re-appear. It's very rare. The goats prevent the terril from being completely taken over by trees and brush. That has happened in a lot of other terrils, where you can no longer see the black soil," said Graf. "Being black, the soil retains the warmth which encourages growth. The vegetation is tough and fibrous and that is perfect for goats. Goats don't like grazing on grass. They prefer shrubs and bushes like we have here."

A few miles to the west, France's most northerly vineyard was established in 2011 on a slag heap. In 2013, it produced 150 bottles and in 2014 it produced 300. Wine-grower Henri Jammet explained that much depends on the age of the slag: "The earlier the terril, the more is likely to grow on it. In the 18th and 19th centuries, they sorted by hand, so a lot of what got chucked aside still contained elements of coal and other minerals. Often the slag continued to combust quietly over the years, which ultimately created a soil which, while not exactly rich, contains fertile elements," said Jammet. "Obviously the soil is poor, but that is good. Vines need to struggle in order to bring out the best in the grape. Our wine is sharp because they don't have the sun up here to reduce the acidity and it's got the proper Chardonnay citrus notes."