Displaying items by tag: Emissions

India: Dalmia Cement (Bharat) has successfully launched its new fleet of 35 liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fuelled trucks from its Murli cement plant in Maharashtra. The trucks are of two types, covering ranges of 50 - 600km, and will transport bagged cement and bulk raw materials. They have 28% lower CO₂ emissions than conventional diesel-powered trucks, and are thus able to eliminate 840t/yr of CO₂ emissions, while also reducing emissions of nitrous oxides (NO_x) by 59% and particulates by 91%, and eliminating emissions of sulphur oxides (SO_x).

Dalmia Cement (Bharat) says that its next move will be to launch a second fleet of 25 trucks from its Ariyalapur cement plant in Tamil Nadu. By April 2024, it plans to convert 10% of its 3000 truck-strong fleet to LNG fuel.

A spokesperson for the company said “Dalmia Cement has been following the business philosophy of Clean & Green is Profitable and Sustainable. Our overall CO₂ emissions have come down from 670kg/t to 467kg/t – one of the lowest globally – and we are focusing on realising our carbon negative goal by 2040. We are delighted to partner with GreenLine Logistics for further reduction of our Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions.”

Pakistan: A court has ordered a report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) into alleged breaches of emissions rules at Kohat Cement's Kohat Cement plant in Babri Banda, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Dawn newspaper has reported that alleged dust and chemical emissions from the plant have contributed to a local rise in cases of cancer, asthma and lung diseases, according to complainants.

Residents have filed a petition for contempt proceedings against the EPA and Kohat Cement, as well as local and provincial government authorities. The court previously ordered the EPA to monitor Kohat Cement's emissions in 2018. At that time, it also instructed Kohat Cement to operate its electrostatic precipitators system at all times that cement is being produced. Local residents claim that the plant has continually failed to operate the system.

Mexico: GCC has secured validation by the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTI) for its latest CO₂ reduction goals. The group has committed to reducing its Scope 1 emissions per tonne of cementitious product by 31% and its Scope 2 emissions per tonne of cementitious product by 57% between 2015 and 2030. It has also committed to a 37.5% absolute reduction in its products’ Scope 3 emissions over the same period. The goals will serve as sustainability performance targets for GCC’s US$500m sustainability-linked bond, which it issued in January 2022.

GCC's vice president of sustainability and environment Gina Lotito said "We are proud and excited to be a catalyst of progress towards a low-carbon future. Our laser-focus on our climate change strategy and emphasis on reducing CO₂ emissions is a testament to our commitment to creating a sustainable future. While we celebrate our achievements, we acknowledge that there is still much work to be done and remain steadfast in our mission."

Austria: Zementwerk Hatschek's Gmunden cement plant eliminated 3800t of CO₂ emissions from its local area during 2022 through its contribution to municipal heating. Zementwerk Hatschek, a subsidiary of Rohrdorfer, heats local households using recovered heat from the Gmunden cement plant's waste heat recover (WHR) system.

A delegation of cement plant representatives and local officials from Baden-Württemberg, Germany, visited the plant to learn about its WHR and heat supply systems on 20 January 2022.

Plant manager Peter Fürhapter said "Municipal heating based on our waste heat contributes to CO₂ reduction in Upper Austria, helping us to achieve our CO₂ reduction goals under the Paris Climate Agreement." He added "We are pleased that with this forward-looking project we are a model for similar projects in Europe."

Australia: The government plans to reform its CO₂ emissions Safeguard Mechanism in line with its stated goal of net zero CO₂ emissions by 2050. Under the latest proposals, 215 industrial plants, including Australia's cement plants, will have to reduce their CO₂ emissions by 4.9% year-on-year every year until 2030. The Australian newspaper has reported that the government is currently receiving submissions on the proposed reform as part of its consultation process, which will end on 24 February 2023.

The Business Council of Australia and the Australian Industry Group have encouraged the government to introduce an adjustment mechanism for imports, based on the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), in conjunction with any tightening of the Safeguard Mechanism.

India: The Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board (HPSPCB) issued a show cause notice to UltraTech Cement's Baga cement plant in Himachal Pradesh's Solan District on 18 January 2023. The Hindustan Times has reported that stack emissions monitoring at the plant recorded a breach during 2022.

UltraTech Cement now has 15 days in which to respond to the show cause notice.

Germany: Heidelberg Materials has placed a Euro750m sustainability-linked bond as part of a Euro10bn medium-term note programme. Interest on the bond is linked to group CO₂ emissions reduction, according to key performance indicators up to 2026 and 2030. Heidelberg Materials is committed to reducing its emissions per tonne of cementitious product by 30% between 2021 and 2030, to 400kg/t.

Heidelberg Materials' chief financial officer René Aldach said "The placement reinforces our aspiration to achieve the most ambitious climate targets within the industry and to increase the share of sustainable financial instruments to over 70% by 2025. With the denomination of Euro1000, we are the only company on the capital market to date to also offer retail investors the opportunity to invest in sustainability-linked bonds."

Colombia: The Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) has validated Grupo Argos Subsidiary Cementos Argos’ CO₂ emissions reduction goals. Cementos Argos aims to reduce its Scope 1 and Scope 2 CO₂ emissions in line with a well-below 2°C climate change scenario by 2030. Its strategy includes increasing co-processing of alternative fuel (AF), reducing its cement’s clinker factor, optimising its heat and electricity consumption, investing in cleaner technologies, increasing the share of renewable power it uses and diversifying its product range to include more low-carbon products.

India: Visaka Industries plans to invest US$15.7m in the construction of a new cement boards plant in West Midnapore, West Bengal. United News of India has reported that the plant will produce the company's Vnext fibre cement board product. When commissioned in August 2023, it will increase Visaka Industries' Vnext boards production capacity to 72,000t/yr. The producer will equip the plant with an ATUM Solar Roof integrated solar power unit, eliminating 840,000t/yr of Scope 2 CO₂ emissions. Visaka Industries plans to employ 500 people at the plant, and additionally support its host community in Shalbani Dakhinshole through its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

Europe: Cembureau has welcomed a satisfactory conclusion to talks over the new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) under the European Union (EU) Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). Negotiators from different EU institutions agreed to a gradual CBAM implementation, which will officially commence in October 2023. Free allocations of ETS credits to the EU cement sector and other industries will phase out between 2026 and 2034. During this transition period, CBAM duties will apply to imported products in proportion to EU production not covered by free allocation.

Cembureau's chief executive Koen Coppenholle said “The agreements on CBAM and ETS are essential to create a global level playing field on CO₂ and support our sector in its transition to carbon neutrality. It is positive that the EU institutions strengthened some key aspects of CBAM. We however regret that the adopted texts do not provide a structural solution for exports. Some EU countries export up to 50% of their domestic cement production and these will be at risk should no concrete export solution be found before 2026.”

Coppenholle added “Looking ahead, we need to focus on CBAM implementation and its water-tightness, to ensure the mechanism fully equalises CO₂ costs between EU and non-EU suppliers. It is also essential that policymakers support EU industries like cement, which are confronted with unsustainably high energy costs at a time some of our trading partners are launching massive subsidy programmes. CBAM, ETS and a strong innovation fund are essential parts of the puzzle, but we look forward to European Commission proposals for a truly ambitious industrial policy, as requested by the European Council in its meeting of 15 December 2022.”