Displaying items by tag: Renewable energy

India: India's cement sector has launched a pilot programme utilising electric trucks, according to the Times of India. The industry has deployed about 150 electric vehicles, exploring their potential for reducing long-term operating costs, despite challenges like high initial costs and inadequate charging infrastructure, according to the Cement Manufacturers’ Association president and Shree Cement managing director Neeraj Akhoury.

A report called ‘Greening Logistics: Electrification in cement & raw material transport’ was released, stating that the industry is heavily reliant on road transport and internal combustion engine trucks for moving cement, clinker and other raw materials across an average distance of 300km. The report also says that the transition to E-trucks presents an opportunity to slash logistic costs by 25-40%. Vehicles that operate over 8000km per month can achieve profitability considering current energy and infrastructure costs. Additionally, E-trucks powered by renewable energy could cut CO₂ emissions by up to 100% when compared to internal combustion engine trucks, which emit approximately 6kg of CO₂ per tonne of cement transported over a 100km range.

Madhavkrishna Singhania, chairman of Green Cementech 2024 and deputy managing director and CEO of JK Cement said "Despite challenges such as higher cost of ownership, longer payback periods, and limited charging infrastructure, the cement sector has shown leadership by deploying EVs for material handling and dispatch operations, even on lead distance routes exceeding 100km."

US: Cemex has entered an off-site renewable energy agreement for its Clinchfield Cement Plant with Georgia Power, securing about 25% of its power from solar facilities throughout the state, starting in 2025. The plant will offset roughly 10,000t/yr of indirect CO₂ emissions, contributing to a 58% reduction target in Scope 2 GHG emissions from its 2020 levels by 2030.

Senior Vice President of Cemex US Ernesto Felix said "Embracing solar power not only accelerates our own aggressive sustainability goals but also sets a powerful example for the entire industry. By integrating renewable energy solutions through Georgia Power, Cemex paves the way for a greener, more resilient future for generations to come."

Thailand: Siam Cement Group (SCG) reported first-quarter sales of US$3.36bn in 2024, down by 3% year-on-year. The group partly attributed this to a decline in its cement volumes. Nonetheless, group earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 4% to US$341m. Special items in the group’s first-quarter 2023 results precipitated an 85% year-on-year decline in net income to US$65.5m from US$446m.

SCG recorded first-quarter CO₂ emissions of 5.99Mt, outstripping the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi)’s recommendation of a 2.5% annual reduction. It relied on 47% renewable energy sources in its cement production.

Pakistan: On 18 April 2024, the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) and the Policy Research Institute for Equitable Development (PRIED) launched two studies focusing on the decarbonisation of Pakistan's cement sector. The initiative focuses on collaboration and technology sharing to reduce the industry's carbon footprint.

Professor Muhammad Fahim Khokhar from the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) said "The global CO₂ emissions released from the cement sector are 37.4Gt, which is rising at 1.1% per year."

The study by PRIED and NUST showed a 30% increase in cement sector CO₂ emissions in 2020 relative to 1990-2000, reaching 49.6Mt/yr. The study proposed strategies for cement sector decarbonisation, such as alternative fuels, clinker substitution, renewable energy, process electrification, energy efficiency and carbon capture technologies.

According to researcher Saleha Qureshi, the major challenge for decarbonisation is that cement industries in Pakistan rely on over 65% coal in the calcination process. Other challenges identified were lack of regulatory and policy support, absence of performance-based standards, high transition cost and limited incentive available for the transition.

Philippines: Holcim Philippines will invest US$35m in sustainability initiatives at its four plants over the next three years. The investments will also include US$17.5m for its waste management arm, Geocycle, increasing capacity for local government unit waste processing.

Chief sustainability officer Samuel Manlosa Jr. said "There is also a side where, if we want to take in more volume, we need to increase our capacity to shred and prepare the materials. Our cement plants, even as sophisticated and technologically advanced as they are, were constructed 20 years ago when norms were different, so we had to make changes in the process to make sure that the plants were able to accept more."

The company will further invest between US$8.7m and US$17.5m in renewable energy and electrification of its vehicle fleet. President and CEO Horia Adrian said "We are purchasing electricity right now, but we have plans to put in place solar facilities and we are looking at the possibility of using electricity generated from biowaste here. By the end of 2024, some of them should be ready."

He concluded that investments at the Bulacan and La Union plants are set to start this year, with those in Davao and Lugait scheduled for 2025.

Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos has inaugurated its first unit in Brazil for Viter, its agricultural inputs business, and Verdera, its sustainable waste management business. Located in Itaperuçu, the unit comprises a new Verdera waste crushing plant and an agricultural limestone production line for Viter. This initiative is part of a US$785m investment programme.

Verdera's Itaperuçu facility has a capacity of 48,000t/yr, tripling its previous capability, and is equipped with technology for sustainable waste treatment. The waste processed at the plant will be converted into clean energy for cement production at Votorantim's plant in Rio Branco do Sul, using co-processing technology developed by Votorantim in Brazil in 1991. Viter's new line will increase agricultural limestone production in Paraná. The Itaperuçu plant, along with the existing Rio Branco do Sul unit, brings Viter's total capacity to 1.5Mt/yr of agricultural limestone in Paraná. The new plant features filters for emission control and utilises biomass as a renewable energy source.

Switzerland/Sweden: ABB and Sweden-based Salt X have agreed to develop Electric Arc Calcination (EAC) technology, with ABB also becoming a Salt X minority shareholder. This partnership aims to decarbonise cement production and similar industries by replacing fossil fuel-based heating with renewable energy and CO₂ capture during calcination. ABB will enhance the EAC with control and electrical systems, contributing to the technology's commercialisation.

Salt X CEO Carl-Johan Linér said "This strengthens us as a company and enables us to progress with our growth plans. With ABB and our other partners, we can significantly improve our capability to take a leading role in the electrification wave sweeping through the industrial sector.”

ABB's Global Growth Industries Business Line Manager Michael Marti said, "Our collaboration with Salt X marks a significant milestone in this journey. The technology benefits are two-fold; replacing the use of fossil fuels through renewable electricity in the calcination process and enabling cost efficient capture of the carbon emissions at the same time. It will be a highly effective way of curbing lime production emissions.”

US: Buzzi Unicem USA is among industrial partners collaborating with Electrified Thermal Solutions in the development of its Joule Hive Thermal Battery for industrial heat decarbonisation. The partners plan to launch a commercial-scale pilot of the battery in San Antonio, Texas, in association with the Southwest Research Institute. The project is supported by US$171m in funding from the US Department of Energy. The battery delivers heat of up to 1800°C from energy from renewable sources.

Buzzi Unicem USA president and chief executive officer Massimo Toso said “Cement production is known as a hard to abate industrial sector in large part because of the high temperatures required. Electrified Thermal Solutions’ Joule Hive Thermal Battery is the first industrial heat decarbonisation solution we have identified that could potentially enable us to cost-effectively and completely eliminate the use of fossil fuels in our heating processes and achieve our corporate decarbonisation goals.”

Electrified Thermal Solutions chief executive officer Daniel Stack said “We believe the breadth and depth of involvement from our industrial partners like Buzzi Unicem USA was critical to demonstrate to the Department of Energy just how valuable the Joule Hive Thermal Battery will be for industrial decarbonisation, and we are grateful for their partnership.” Stack added “Southwest Research Institute’s engineering support and world-class industrial demonstration facilities signalled to the Department of Energy that our technology will be developed, built, operated, tested and evaluated to the highest standards.”

Mexico/Germany: Cemex and waste heat recovery (WHR) systems developer Orcan Energy plan to scale up WHR technologies supplied by Orcan Energy at multiple Cemex sites globally. This new multi-site portfolio approach extends an existing partnership, through which the companies trialled Orcan’s systems for electricity generation at Cemex Deutschland’s Rüdersdorf cement plant in Germany.

Cemex’s Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia regional president Sergio Menéndez said “We already have an initial collaboration with Orcan. Based on the modularity of their solution, Orcan offers the flexibility of both installation and contracts. Thanks to this crucial flexibility, we can adapt to any upcoming changes in our plants. The approach enables us to reduce carbon emissions right now without limiting ourselves in implementing any future technologies such as carbon capture, utilisation and storage. This partnership will help us achieve our sustainability targets and contribute to our aim to use all available heat.”

Orcan Energy’s chief executive officer Andreas Sichert said “We are looking forward to entering this large-scale decarbonisation partnership with Cemex after our initial cooperation in Germany. This step is a testament to Cemex’s forward-looking strategy and the company’s commitment to achieving net zero. For Orcan Energy, this is another milestone in scaling the business internationally with global enterprises. We are proud to be the partner of choice for the cement industry. Our large footprint across the industry shows the economic capability and the technical excellence of our modular and flexible solution, especially in view of uncertain future economic and regulative developments.”

Spain: Capital Energy has won a contract to supply renewable energy to Cementos Alfa’s Mataporquera cement plant in Cantabria. The energy company will supply 80,000MWh/yr to the subsidiary of Cementos Portland Valderrivas under the contract, initially from five local wind farms. The contract takes the form of long-term power purchase agreement (PPA), under a self-consumption scheme with surpluses.