Displaying items by tag: Environment
Dalmia Cement sets carbon negative target of 2040
18 September 2018India: Mahendra Singhi, the group chief executive officer (CEO) of Dalmia Cement, says that the company aims to be carbon negative by 2040. Singhi made the announcement at the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco, US, according to the Indo-Asian News Service. The cement producer is planning to increase its low-carbon product portfolio and use more ‘green’ fuels and raw materials in all of its 14 plants in India.
Dalmia Cement is the first Indian cement company to join RE 100 and it is committed to a target of 100% renewable electricity use. Singhi said that the major challenge is to convert the climate risks into business opportunities while sustaining business growth for the benefit of present as well as future stakeholders. Singhi was previously the Indian co-chair of the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI).
Singhi said that Dalmia Group has been able to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to 526kg/t of cement on a group average and to 342kg/t in its eastern operations. According to the CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project) cement sector report in April 2018, Dalmia Bharat achieved the first rank in CDP's low carbon transition league.
KCP unit has lowest specific energy consumption in India
03 September 2018India: The KCP Ltd cement unit II at Ramakrishnapuram in Krishna district has bagged the ‘Excellent Energy Efficient Unit’ award from the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The award is given to the cement plant with lowest specific electrical energy consumption for cement production compared to the national average and lowest specific heat consumption for clinker production as against the industrial average.
Eurocement employee at Nevyanskiy Tsementnik faces Euro42,000 fine for dust emissions
07 August 2018Russia: The head of Job Safety, Industrial Safety & the Environment Department at Eurocement’s Nevyanskiy Tsementnik cement plant has been fined Euro42,000. The fine was issued by the local authorities for emissions of non-organic dust with high silicon content, according to URBC Daily News. The plant does not have an emissions permit.
Myanmar: Three local activists have been arrested for protesting against a new cement plant being built at Patheingyi Township in Mandalay Region. In late July 2018 local residents marched on environmental grounds from Mandalay to Nay Pyi Taw in protest against the construction of a 5000t/yr coal-fired cement plant in Dahattaw Village-tract, Patheingyi Township, according to the Asia News Network. However, police intervened and started legal action against some of the protestors.
Mexico: The Procuraduría Federal de Protección al Ambiente (PROFEPA) awarded an Recognition of Environmental Excellence to 12 Cemex cement plants. The award is presented to companies that demonstrate a continuous commitment to protect the environment. The plants that were recognised were: Atotonilco in Hidalgo; Barrientos in Mexico State; Ensenada in Baja California; Huichapan in Hidalgo; Mérida, in Yucatan; Monterrey in Nuevo León; Tamuín in San Luis Potosí; Tepeaca in Puebla; Torreón, in Coahuila; Valles in San Luis Potosí; Yaqui, in Sonora; and Zapotiltic, in Jalisco.
Lucky Cement awarded environment excellence award
19 July 2018Pakistan: Lucky Cement has won the Environment Excellence Award at the 15th Annual Environment Excellence Awards 2018. It received the award in recognition to its commitment towards sustainable development and contribution towards protecting the overall environment for a ‘greener’ Pakistan, according to the PPI news agency. The award was presented by the National Forum for Environment and Health, a non-government organisation that aims to promote environmental, healthcare and educational awareness.
"Implementation of sustainability into our core business operations has always been one of our main objectives. We follow a comprehensive Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan. The management strongly believes in preserving the ecosystem through the management of gaseous emissions, particulate matter, noise levels, effluents (sewage) and solid waste," said Amin Ganny, Chief Operating Officer, Lucky Cement.
Vietnam: The environment ministry has approved fly ash from the Formosa steel company for use in cement production. Sông Gianh Cement in Quảng Bình Province has been cleared for its use provided the materials meet current technical specifications and that the company has the responsibility to monitor the transport of ash, according to the Viet Nam News newspaper.
Sông Gianh Cement initially denied receiving fly ash from Formosa. However, the transport company carrying the by-product from Hà Tĩnh to Quảng Bình admitted to local media that it had been hired for the job. The Quảng Bình environment department then revealed that Sông Gianh had asked the government if it could buy fly ash from Formosa but that it had been denied due to poor public opinion regarding the steel producer.
Formosa received widespread public criticism when it was blamed for a chemical spill into the sea in 2016 that caused mass deaths of marine life and public outcry.
India: Sanghi Industries has received environment clearance for an upgrade to its cement plant at Sanghipuram, Kutch district in Gujarat. The unit’s clinker production capacity is being raised to 7.5Mt/yr from 3.5Mt/yr, according to the Times of India newspaper. Its cement production capacity is being increased to 8.6Mt/yr from 4Mt/yr. The US$194m project also involves building a cement grinding plant at Surat. The project is expected to be completed in 2020.
India: The state government of Uttar Pradesh has identified land on which Jaiprakash Associates will have to plant a plantation as a penalty for conducting mining in a forest. The decision follows a National Green Tribunal order in 2016, according to the Times of India newspaper. UltraTech Cement purchased the Dalla plant from Jaiprakash Associates in 2017 but it has been unable to use the site fully due to legal issues. It will be able to use the site fully once the conditions of the government proposal have been completed. Other conditions of the government deal will force Jaiprakash Associates to pay four times the actual cost of land for its acquisition and to maintain the plantation for 10 years.
US: Cemex has settled a lawsuit that accused it of discharging polluted storm water runoff from its West Sacramento cement terminal in California into the Sacramento River. The cement producer has agreed to implement an infiltration basin to treat runoff from its unit, according to the Sacramento Business Journal newspaper. It will also make a donation of US$40,000 in grants to environmental projects in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and pay the legal fees of the plaintiff, the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance. The alliance had originally sought US$88m from Cemex.