Displaying items by tag: Cemex
Cemex Zement launches Vision Rüdersdorf
14 October 2020Germany: Cemex Zement has announced the start of carbon-neutral building materials development at its 1.9Mt/yr Rüdersdorf, Brandenburg cement plant. Called Vision Rüdersdorf, the project consists of, “the comprehensive investigation of various approaches to breakthrough technologies in order to prevent process-related carbon dioxide (CO2) from entering the atmosphere, but to use it for beneficial purposes. The investigation areas can be divided into capture, storage or use of CO2. This will help towards Cemex’s target of 55% CO2 emissions reduction across Europe by 2030 and its commitment to deliver carbon-neutral concrete by 2050.
Chief executive officer (CEO) Rüdiger Kuhn said, “For years, sustainable success has been achieved here in the reduction of fossil fuels and in the selection of alternative recipe ingredients for cement. The experienced team is always looking for possible improvements. When it came to determining the best possible CO2 emission values, the Rüdersdorf plant was always at the forefront of the European cement industry and has thus also earned an excellent reputation in the global Cemex organisation.”
In order to realise Vision Rüdersdorf, the producer has partnered with companies from other industries. Managing director and plant manager Stefan Schmorleiz said, “In an interesting approach, the CO2 that we capture is used as a raw material for downstream processes in the chemical industry. Another approach is to innovate in the storage of CO2. With these efforts, and our commitment to review and invest in these technologies, Cemex Zement is making a contribution to the decarbonisation of the cement industry.”
US: The Wildlife Habitat Council has named Cemex USA the winner of the Corporate Conservation Leadership Award 2020. The award signifies “an exemplary corporate commitment to biodiversity and conservation education, and meaningful alignments with global conservation objectives.”
Director of Sustainability Vicente Saiso said, “We are privileged to receive the Corporate Conservation Leadership Award from the Wildlife Habitat Council. This recognition is testimony to our successful efforts and fosters our commitment to continue embedding sustainability in every aspect of our operations. To date, we have achieved certification for 30 programmes and community environmental initiatives in our operations around the world, with the highest standards of environmental conservation and biodiversity restoration.”
Projects include collaborations in the US and further afield with the California State Wildlife Action Plan, the Friends of Verde River Cooperative Invasive Plant Management Plan, BirdLife International, the El Carmen Nature Reserve Action Programme and a black bear research initiative, as well as the Mexican Strategy for Chihuahuan Grasslands Conservation, the Dominican Republic National Annual Plan and Panama's Alliance for a Million Hectares.
Mexico: The total cement demand generated by infrastructure projects in 2020 will be 1.9Mt, down by 95% from 40Mt in 2019. The El Sol de Mexico newspaper has reported that the government plans to invest US$12.1bn in 32 projects throughout the course of 2020.
Cemex president Rogelio Zambrano welcomed the decision to continue investing in infrastructure, saying that the promised sum would likely stimulate private sector investment in construction exceeding US$13.8bn. He added, “Both self-construction and infrastructure activity are to thank for the recovery in the construction industry since June 2020.”
European court rules against HeidelbergCement and Schwenk Zement acquisition of Cemex Croatia
06 October 2020Croatia: A European Union (EU) court has ruled in favour of the European Commission’s antitrust veto of Germany-based HeidelbergCement and Schwenk Zement’s 2017 acquisition agreement with Mexico-based Cemex for acquisition of its subsidiary Cemex Croatia. The court said that the deal was anti-competitive in that it had the potential to push up cement prices in Croatia, in spite of HeidlebergCement and Schwenk Zement’s offer to grant other cement suppliers access to a terminal.
Production resumes at Cemex Tepeaca plant
05 October 2020Mexico: Cuautinchán city council granted permission for Cemex to resume cement production at its 7.2Mt/yr integrated Tepeaca plant in Cuautinchán following its suspension on 1 October 2020 for failure to pay city rates.
The Municipios Puebla newspaper has reported that Cuautinchán mayor José Pérez opposes the reopening, accusing Cemex of quarrying over 4.44km2 in a remote area where its licence extends over a site of just 12.0km2. He stated that Cemex has caused environmental deterioration and failed to comply with road upkeep requirements, adding, “It is not a company that has established co-responsibility against municipalities.”
Mexico: Cemex has announced the signing of a collaboration agreement with Switzerland-based alternative fuel (AF) specialist Synhelion, through which the pair aim to develop the use of solar power as an alternative heat source to fuel in clinker production. Pilot testing of Synhelion products will begin at a Cemex plant in late 2022, at a total investment cost of up to US$10m.
Head of global research and development Davide Zampini said, "Thanks to the technology that Synhelion is developing, we can bring the solar heat up to 1500°C. In the process, we can also capture the carbon dioxide (CO2), and that fits perfectly into the process of the synthetic fuel."
Carbon Trust validates Cemex’s 2030 CO2 reduction roadmap
30 September 2020Mexico: Cemex says that Carbon Trust has validated its roadmap to decarbonise global operations in line with the Sectoral Decarbonisation Approach (SDA) 2-degree scenario (2DS) developed by the International Energy Agency (IEA). The validated roadmap is intended to help the company to achieve a 35% reduction of net carbon emissions by 2030. The findings validate Cemex's roadmap for reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions.
The Carbon Trust has assessed the technical feasibility of the plan based on guidelines defined by international institutions including the International Energy Agency, the Cement Sustainability Initiative, and the European Climate Research Alliance. The CO2 reduction methods include the use of alternative fuels, using decarbonated raw materials, renewable power projects, and novel cements, among others. The validation also included a review of Cemex's commitment to implement the scheme based on governance mechanisms and business planning.
“The magnitude and complexity of change required by a company such as Cemex to decarbonise its global operations is significant. Our assessment provides the organization’s management, investors and stakeholders with an independent validation that its commitments are backed up by sound assumptions and planning,” said Aleyn Smith-Gillespie, Associate Director Advisory at the Carbon Trust.
Breedon Group issues trading update
22 September 2020UK: Breedon Group says that it has “continued to deliver an encouraging trading performance since demand began to return in early May 2020 after the Covid-19 lockdown,” recording eight-month sales of Euro580m over the period that ended on 31 August 2020, down by 15% from Euro681 over the corresponding period of 2019. The group says that the figure includes the contributions of its newly acquired Cemex ready-mix and aggregates assets for August 2020.
As a result of this performance, the board reinstated its 2020 guidance, with underlying earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) for the second half of 2020 anticipated to be in line with that in the second half of 2019. It added, “We continue to be reassured by the UK government's restated commitment to investment in the UK's infrastructure and to encouraging demand from the UK housing market, complemented by similar trends in the Republic of Ireland.”
Fortune names Cemex in 2020 Change the World list
22 September 2020US: Fortune has named Cemex amongst socially impactful companies on its 2020 Change the World list. It gave the reasons for the company’s inclusion as “its efforts in social impact business models. One such initiative was the rapid deployment of solutions to meet the current challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Working with the Mexican Institute of Social Security and in coordination with more than 20 multi-sectoral partners in Mexico, Cemex built mobile hospitals with highly durable precast antibacterial concrete modules in a record time of two weeks per medical facility. This effort in Mexico will be replicated in other countries where Cemex has operations to contribute to global challenges positively.”
Chief executive officer (CEO) Fernando González said, “Once again, we are honoured by Fortune’s recognition of our efforts to improve the well-being and quality of life of the population. By living our purpose of building a better future and working with our stakeholders, we seek to develop innovative solutions while promoting a sustainable and resilient future.”
Cemex Ventures partners with Carbon Clean for carbon capture and storage development
18 September 2020Mexico: Cemex subsidiary Cemex Ventures has signed an agreement with US-based carbon capture and storage (CCS) specialist Carbon Clean for the development of a CCS solution for under US$30/t of carbon dioxide (CO2) captured. Cemex cement plants will host the products during pilot testing. Cemex Ventures head Gonzalo Galindo said, “The ambitious target of making carbon capture technology accessible and more efficient would be an unprecedented achievement for the cement sector, opening a door of opportunities for further developments.”