Displaying items by tag: Solar power

Türkiye: Sinoma Overseas Development has won a contract to execute the first phase of a four-plant solar power project across three of LIMAK Cement Group’s cement plants in Türkiye. The contract covers engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of an initial 28.2MW-worth of new solar power capacity.

Sinoma Overseas Development said “This project opens a new chapter of our robust partnership built on many successful practices of cooperation on projects of cement EPC and supply services over the past decade, leading us into a new field of green energy. The deeper and wider cooperation between LIMAK and us reflects its recognition and trust in our company's ability to perform the contracts in the past, indicating another significant leap in exploiting the Turkish market, expanding localised operations, and transforming to providing green energy projects.” The supplier added “We will exert our utmost in project execution and client services to propel LIMAK’s strategic blueprint of energy saving and carbon reduction in its pursuit of a greener, more sustainable future.”

Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos and Atlas Renewable Energy have launched a joint venture to build a 470MW solar power plant in Paracatu, Minas Gerais. Additionally, the parties signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) for the supply of 100GWh/yr of solar energy for Votorantim Cimentos' cement plants between 2026 and 2041. The moves align with the producer’s aim to achieve 75% renewable energy reliance in its operations.

Yemen: Pakistan-based Reon Energy has won a contract to build a microgrid equipped with a 13.5MW solar power plant and a 5.59MWh battery energy storage system for Arabian Yemen Cement. The energy storage system will employ Reon Energy’s SPARK Intelligent Energy Management product. The supplier said that the project aims to reduce energy costs by 20% and lower CO₂ emissions from Arabian Yemen Cement’s operations.

Arabian Yemen Cement chief executive officer (CEO) Waheeb Al-Azab said "Our partnership with Reon Energy signifies a monumental stride towards sustainable energy practices, enabling us to harness solar power, significantly reduce our carbon footprint and optimise fuel efficiency in our operations."

Reon Energy CEO Mujtaba Khan said "This collaboration marks a significant step in our commitment to delivering practical, efficient solutions, tailored to industry-specific energy challenges. We look forward to driving positive change in the energy landscape of the cement industry with Arabian Yemen Cement."

India: Adani Group subsidiary Ambuja Cements plans to invest US$722m in renewable energy projects to help decarbonise its cement production. The producer has a renewable power capacity target of 1000MW, through solar and wind projects, by the end of the 2026 financial year. The proposals include a 600MW solar power project and 150MW wind power project in Gujarat, and a 250MW solar power project in Rajasthan. The company also plans to increase its waste heat recovery (WHR) capacity to 397MW by late 2028 from 103MW at present.

Ajay Kapur, the chief executive officer of Adani Group’s cement business, said "This strategic investment reaffirms our steadfast commitment to sustainable practices. We are not just aiming for a substantial increase in green power capacity but setting the stage for a transformative shift in the cement industry. They align not only with our growth trajectory but also with the national objective of decarbonisation and greener future and this helps us become competitive and sustainable."

Adani Group announced in mid-December 2023 that it was committed to investing US$100bn in the decade to the end of 2033 towards transitioning its operations to net zero CO₂ emissions by 2050.

Kenya: Frontier Energy subsidiary Momnai Energy has begun building two solar power plants at sites belonging to Bamburi Cement. One 14.5MW plant will be situated at the producer’s 1.1Mt/yr Mombasa cement plant, while another 5MW plant will be situated at its Nairobi grinding plant. When commissioned, they will cover 30% of the producer’s energy consumption. Momnai Energy will finance, manage and maintain the solar power plants on the basis of a power purchase agreement (PPA) signed between the parties in 2021.

Bamburi Cement chief executive officer Mohit Kapoor said that the project ‘represents one of Kenya's most substantial commercial solar endeavours undertaken by a cement company, and a first for Holcim in Sub-Saharan Africa.’ He added that it will lead to cost savings, reduced vulnerability to load shedding and ‘substantial’ progress towards achieving net zero CO₂ emissions.

Philippines: Filinvest-ENGIE Renewable Energy Enterprise (FREE) has won a contract with Cemex Philippines for the construction of a 10.1MW solar power plant. The Business Mirror newspaper has reported that the plant is comprised of a ground-mounted array of solar panels at Cemex Philippines’ Apo cement plant in Cebu. The solar power plant will eliminate 10,000t/yr of CO₂ from the Cebu cement plant’s emissions. Additionally, the producer has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with FREE for future collaborations on renewable energy and efficiency-increasing projects around the nearby city of Naga.

Cemex Philippines president and CEO Luis Franco said “This solar energy partnership is another milestone under Cemex’s Future in Action programme, as we progress closer to our goal of reducing Scope 2 CO₂ emissions to less than 24kg/t of cementitious product by 2030.” He added “We are proud to partner with FREE, a company that shares our vision to address climate change through sustainable projects. This is a win not only for Cemex, but also for the planet as we take concrete steps in making renewable energy the future of the industry.”

Poland: Cemex Polska awarded an eight-year contract to Statkraft to supply wind and solar energy for its cement plants. The parties signed a corporate power purchase agreement (CPPA), under which Statkraft will meet 30% of Cemex Polska’s plants’ energy consumption, beginning on 1 January 2025.

Cemex Polska director cement operations Tadeusz Radzięciak board member “The concluded contract is important for Cemex on several levels. The contract ensures stable supply of a large volume of electricity, while at the same time securing a guaranteed, predictable level of prices for supplied energy in the long term. This is particularly important in the context of the rapid and unpredictable changes in energy prices on the European and Polish energy markets recorded in the last several months. In addition, the partnership with Statkraft is crucial in the context of achieving the Cemex's sustainability goals. After all, sourcing energy from renewable sources enables a significant reduction in the carbon footprint of our production facilities.”

Philippines: Holcim Philippines has appointed I Squared Capital subsidiary Berde Renewables to build, maintain and operate two rooftop solar power plants, at its Bulacan and La Union cement plants, respectively. The solar power plants will have a combined capacity of 7.8GWh/yr and reduce Holcim Philippines’ CO2 emissions by 5500t/yr. The Business Mirror newspaper has reported that the projects advance the producer’s aim to reduce its energy-related CO2 emissions by 65% between 2018 and 2030.

Holcim Philippines president and CEO Horia Adrian noted the 20% reduction in overall CO¬2 emissions that the company has already achieved up to 2022 and said “This project further strengthens our ability to support Holcim's net zero direction and the country's nationally determined contributions.”

Croatia: Nexe Group has completed a US$3.3m upgrade to its Našice cement plant. SeeNews has reported that the project consisted of efficiency-increasing upgrades to the plant and other buildings at the site, and the construction of a solar power plant. The producer says that this will reduce the 600,000t/yr-capacity cement plant’s total energy consumption by 1.56GWh/yr.

The Našice cement plant is the site of an on-going expansion and carbon capture system installation project.

Spain: Cementos Molins inaugurated its new Euro6.6m headquarters in Sant Vicenç dels Horts, Catalonia. The facilities include a 3250m² solar power plant, which will supply 100% of the energy consumed in the building’s operations. The solar power plant consists of an array of 1455 photovoltaic panels. Cementos Molins says that it also used recycled materials where possible in building its new headquarters.

CEO Julio Rodríguez said “We celebrate 95 years of life and we feel proud to contribute to the development of the country and its social evolution. In our DNA is the will to collaborate with our environment.”