Displaying items by tag: Solar power

Austria: Lafarge Zement has successfully demolished the chimney of a former gas power plant at its Mannersdorf cement plant in Lower Austria. Hans Zöchling GmbH carried out the demolition work. Lafarge Zement plans to use the cleared space for a new solar power plant. Plant manager Helmut Reiterer said that further renewable power projects are also planned at the site.

India: Shree Cement has commissioned captive solar power plants with a total capacity of 40MW in Bihar and Jharkhand. A Shree Cement facility in Banka, Bihar, hosts a 30MW solar power installation, while another in Seraikela Kharsawan, Jharkhand hosts a 10MW installation. Press Trust India News has reported that Oriana Clean Energy carried out design, engineering, procurement and construction on both projects.

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.

Thailand: Siam Cement Group (SCG) will invest US$2.89bn in new renewable power infrastructure across its businesses. Major growth areas include 3000MW of solar power generation capacity. This will increase group solar capacity by a factor of 15. Saur Energy News has reported that the renewable power projects will support the company’s on-going decarbonisation investments in cement and other businesses.

SCG is committed to achieving a circular business model and net zero CO₂ emissions by 2050.

Pakistan/UAE: China-based renewables supplier LONGi Green Energy Technology has awarded Bestway Cement its Carbon Neutralisation Pioneer award at a ceremony in Dubai, UAE. The award acknowledges progress in industrial sustainability during the past year. Bestway Cement is the first Pakistani recipient of the prize.

Bestway Cement operates 62MW-worth of solar power capacity at installations at its Chakwal, Farooqia, Hattar and Kallar Kahar cement plants. Managing director Irfan Sheikh said that this setup enables it to minimise CO₂ emissions and the company's reliance on the national grid. Bestway Cement was also the first Pakistani cement producer to install waste heat recovery (WHR) plants across all of its integrated cement plants.

India: Dalmia Cement (Bharat) is among buyers which will receive a supply of renewable energy from Sunsure Energy's new 74MW Tirunelveli open access solar power plant in Tamil Nadu. Press Trust of India News has reported that the solar power provider built the plant in three phases, with the first commencing in January 2022.

Project head Tarunveer Singh said "This is our largest single-site installation and one of the largest open access projects in the renewable energy-rich state of Tamil Nadu. Credit goes to our on-site team for completing this project in time, despite execution challenges posed by the weather and the daunting supply chain constraints plaguing the solar sector."

Sunsure Energy commands 250MW of solar power across 16 Indian states.

Egypt: Arabian Cement Company (ACC) has signed an amendment to its 2019 contract with Amarenco SolarizEgypt (ASE) to establish a solar photovoltaic (PV) unit at its Suez plant. The amendment to the agreement aligns with updated regulations recently issued by the Egyptian Electric Utility and Consumer Protection Regulatory Agency (EgyptERA) to encourage and support self-built solar energy projects as Egypt hosts the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm El Sheikh.

ACC already generates 20.6MW of power from a solar PV plant, representing 3% of its total power needs and saving 5500t/yr of CO₂. Construction of a second site, capable of saving 13,000t/yr of CO₂, will now begin in early 2023. The actual commissioning and start-up of operations is expected in September 2023.

“As part of our sustainable development strategy, we are continually assessing opportunities to develop Egypt’s cement industry with projects that integrate sustainable and environment-friendly solutions and renewable energy resources given their significant environmental, social impact and on the economy at large,” said Sergio Alcantarilla, the chief executive officer of ACC.

Egypt: Suez Cement has partnered with Intro Power and Utilities for the construction of a 20MW solar power plant at its Suez cement plant. From its commissioning in early-mid-2023, the installation will provide the plant with 45GWh of energy annually, 20% of its annual consumption. Suez Cement says that this will eliminate 22,000t/yr-worth of CO₂ emissions. Construction is expected to cost US$350m and commence in 2023.

Suez cement aims to achieve specific CO₂ emissions of 400kg/t of cementitious product by 2030, down by 47% from 1990 levels.

Managing director Mohamed Hegazy said “Through transitioning to renewable solar energy, we are looking at long-term economic benefits, laying the foundation for a low-carbon business and energy security, without jeopardising the health of our environment. We are proud about this new milestone and to be one of the few cement players in Egypt taking this step towards using a more affordable and cleaner energy."

Pakistan: Bestway Cement has ignited the 7200t/day kiln at its new Mianwali integrated cement plant in Punjab Province. The plant has 20MW of dedicated solar power capacity and 9MW of waste heat recovery (WHR) power capacity.

El Salvador: Holcim El Salvador plans to invest up to US$50m over the next three years to help it generate 70% of the energy it uses. It plans to build a 17MW solar plant and a wind farm to enable this, according to La Prensa Gráfica newspaper. The investment will also help the subsidiary of Switzerland-based Holcim to progress towards its net-zero sustainability goals. The solar project has a budget of US$19m and will be built in agreement with AES Corporation. It will be located at Holcim’s integrated El Ronco cement plant. It will supply 21% of the energy used at both the El Ronco and Maya cement plants.

The investment has also included the installation of a solid waste shredder earlier in 2022. Its official inauguration is planned for mid-November 2022. Holcim El Salvador reached a 30% alternative fuels substitution rate in October 2022.