Türkiye: The Turkish government has introduced new rules for thermal insulation of residential buildings. Fakti News has reported that the newly enacted standard TS 825 will require new homes to be designed to meet both ‘heating and cooling’ needs. This is intended to keep housing operating efficiently under increasingly extreme seasonal climactic conditions.

Property industry body IS & Partners reportedly said that the rules “Will lead to an increase in the cost of projects, and hence to an increase in the prices of purchasing or renting a home” by as much as 25%. It may additionally increase consumer interest in the ‘secondary’ market in existing homes, IS & Partners added.

Romania: Alpin Szig és Szerkezet Építőipari subsidiary Mineral Insulation plans to build a €20m, 30,000t/yr-capacity mineral wool plant in Miercurea-Ciuc, Harghita County. Romania-Insider News has reported that construction will commence in mid-2025, with the plant scheduled to enter production in late 2026. The upcoming plant will occupy a former mining site, chosen for its proximity to sources of all required raw materials within 100km, as well as for its centrality in Romania. It is expected to create 70 new jobs.

Director Orban Zoltan said that the plant should enable Harghita County to become mineral wool self-sufficient.

Ukraine: Horticulture company Green Wave Organic has developed a new peat-based substrate to replace mineral wool in vertical horticulture at its facilities in Zolochiv, Lviv Oblast. New Voices of Ukraine News has reported that Green Wave Organic recently received a €15,000 EU4Business grant from the EU.

Compliance officer Ivan Fryz emphasised the need to continue to innovate under challenging circumstances, with electricity prices double their April 2024 levels.

Russia: TechnoNICOL plans to build a machine-building workshop in Ryazan to supply equipment for mineral wool production, according to Russian government sources.

The company said that is currently replacing some ‘European-made’ equipment with prototypes produced in China and Türkiye. It invested US$392m in its ‘fixed assets’ in 2024.