Displaying items by tag: renewable energy

Pakistan: The board of directors of Lucky Cement has approved US$37.1m-worth of investments in the construction of renewable energy infrastructure at the company’s Karachi and Pezu cement plants. The producer plans to build a 6.3MW solar power plant and a 28.8MW wind power plant at the Karachi plant in Sindh and a 2.5MW solar power plant at the Pezu plant in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Pakistan Company News has reported that the board also empowered Lucky Cement to evaluate its participation in the equity of its diversified industrial manufacturing subsidiary, Lucky Core Ventures.

US: Heat Battery developer Rondo Energy has concluded a financing round with US$60m raised in investments, Renewables Now News has reported. Investors included Siam Cement Group and Titan Cement Group, as well as Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Energy Impact Partners, the Climate Innovation Fund, Rio Tinto, SABIC, Aramco Ventures, SDCL Energy Efficiency Income Trust and John Doerr. Rondo Energy’s Heat Battery is a means of connecting cement plants and other industrial facilities to a constant supply of electricity ultimately derived from renewable energy sources.

CEO John O'Donnell said “Our Strategic Investor Advisory Board will help Rondo focus on the simplest, fastest ways to power their operations with low-cost clean energy and shape our priorities for ongoing research and development.”

Sweden: CemVision has reported the successful conclusion of a large-scale production pilot of its ultra low carbon alternative clinker. CemVision produces the clinker using up to 100% recycled industrial secondary materials from the steel and mining sectors. CemVision says that its production process heats the raw materials using renewable electricity, and without the use of fossil fuels. The alternative clinker offers CO₂ reductions of up to 100% compared with ordinary Portland cement (OPC) clinker. CemVision has opened an invitation to possible collaborators to help scale up production, with a target of hundreds of thousands of tonnes per year.

Chief technical officer Claes Kollberg said "We are a climate-first company, making high performance cement. With our competence and experience, it is our duty to produce the most environmentally friendly cement for each application."

India: UltraTech Cement has concluded an agreement to buy a 26% stake in renewable power provider VEH Radiant Energy. UltraTech Cement says that VEH Radiant Energy will help it to increase its reliance on renewable power in its operations.

Peru: Grupo Gloria subsidiary Cemento Yura plans to transition its Yura cement plant from using coal to alternative fuels (AF) in its cement production. Additionally, the producer will build a 30MW solar power plant at the site. The Gestión newspaper has reported the total value of the upgrades as US$50m. Both projects are scheduled for commissioning in mid-2025.

In the 2023 financial year, which ended on 30 June 2023, Peruvian cement despatches fell by 8% to 12.6Mt.

India: CK Birla Group subsidiary Orient Cement has concluded a share subscription and shareholders' agreement with Cleantech India to acquire a 29% stake in Ardeur Renewables for US$1.16m. Ardeur Renewables is building a 16MW solar power plant at Orient Cement’s Chittapur cement plant in Karnataka and a 5.5 MW solar power plant at Orient Cement’s Jalgaon cement plant in Maharashtra. The cement producer says that the acquisition will help it to further increase its renewables usage and optimise its energy costs.

Argentina: Cementos Avellaneda has inaugurated its 22MW La Calera solar power plant in San Luis Province. Forbes has reported that the power plant will supply electricity to the producer's 1.1Mt/yr San Luis cement plant. As a result, operations at the plant will henceforth be 55% renewably powered. In total, the new solar power plant will eliminate 22,600t/yr-worth of CO₂ emissions. Engineering company Industrias Juan F Secco supported the installation of the US$25m plant, which took 16 months to build.

Cementos Avellaneda's general director José Luis Maestri said "It was key to the success of this project to have been able to find a strategic partner such as Industrias Juan F Secco, an Argentine company with more than 80 years of history and experience in the energy sector, which provided us with all its professionalism and commitment."

Spain: Cementos El Molino plans to invest Euro3.7m in an upgrade to energy infrastructure at its 450,000t Santa Eulalia grinding plant in Aragon. Alimarket Construction News has reported that the upgrade consists of a 12MW substation and a 2.4MW solar power plant. Euro2m-worth (54%) of investments will go towards construction of the subsystem and Euro1.7m (46%) towards the solar power plant. Cementos El Molino expects to carry out the investments before the end of 2023.

Nigeria: Holcim subsidiary Lafarge Africa hosted industry professional and policy makers at an event dedicated to advancing understanding of renewable energy on 8 July 2023. The Business and Financial Times newspaper has reported that the event included a panel session entitled 'The Business of Clean Energy: Opportunities for Industries.'

Lafarge Africa chair Prince Adebode Adefioye said "It is about stimulating every part of our economy, creating incentives for investors in clean energy and for people and businesses to embrace the use of clean energy products and technologies. It allows Nigeria not only to boost its energy supply and create new high-value jobs, but also to be at the forefront of reducing carbon emissions and saving our planet. Therefore, the whole idea is to bring people together to be able to stimulate ideas, even the banks and broader financial sector, to involve them in creating innovative tech and financial products that allow us to generate and use energy more effectively and productively.”

CEO Khaled El Dokani added “Fighting climate change and making the transition towards a greener economy requires a concerted effort by industries, individuals and the government. As a leader in innovation, Lafarge will continue to collaborate with stakeholders and we expect that the discussions by a range of industry experts and public officials here present today will provide a clear view of the business of clean energy and reveal the opportunities, insights and strategic agendas for leaders in the private and public sectors to accelerate our society’s access to clean energy.”

China: Asia Cement has launched its 2050 decarbonisation strategy, entitled 'Net-Zero Carbon Emissions By 2050 - Asia Cement Advanced Deployment.' The strategy consists of multiple pillars, namely 'alternative fuels,' 'reducing cement's clinker factor,' 'increasing renewable energy reliance' and 'carbon capture.'

During 2022, Asia Cement reduced its limestone, clay, iron and sand consumption by 266,000t, its coal consumption by 17,000t and its gypsum consumption by 56,000t year-on-year. This eliminated 95,100t of CO₂ emissions throughout the year, according to the producer.