Global Cement News

Germany: Schwenk Zement’s 1.2Mt/yr Karlstadt cement plant in Bavaria, 1.0Mt/yr Allmendingen and Mergelstetten cement plants in Baden Württemberg and 0.86Mt/yr Bernburg cement plant in Saxony-Anhalt have all achieved the Concrete Sustainability Council (CSC)’s gold certification, enabling the use of their cements in concrete for CSC certified sustainable buildings. Schwenk building consultancy head Werner Rothenbacher said, “Schwenk is committed to sustainable cement production at all locations. More works will follow soon.” In addition to its cement plants, Schwenk operates numerous ready-mix concrete production facilities in Germany.

In 2019 20% of German new-builds were CSC certified.

UK: Breedon Group has suspended production at all UK sites except operations that ‘serve critical supply needs,’ such as those of the Hope, Derbyshire, cement plant. The group’s Ireland operations also continue, ‘pending further guidance from the Irish government.’

Breedon Group says that it has taken the temporary measures ‘to ensure the safety and wellbeing of colleagues, subcontractors, customers and communities.’

Japan: Taiheiyo Cement has set out the measures by which it aims to achieve its July 2019 target to ‘reduce net CO₂ emissions per unit of cement production’ by 80% between 2000 and 2050. The measures consist of: the introduction of energy-saving equipment, the promotion of alternative fuels (AFs) and the development of lower-CO₂ cements, accounting for a minimum 15% reduction; development and introduction of new technologies to the production process, targeting especially indirect emissions by modernising energy sources, accounting for a minimum 15% reduction; assumption of future technologies, accounting for a minimum 50% reduction.

EU: Cembureau has welcomed the European Commission (EC)’s proposal for consultations on setting up a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) for imported goods including cement, and set out a number of ‘design principles’ that it says ‘should apply’. According to Cembureau, a CBAM ought to be: complementary to EU emissions trading scheme (ETS) free allowances (in the initial phase) and World Trade Organisation (WTO) compatible, based on importers’ verified emissions, including indirect emissions, applicable to all ETS sectors and capable of providing a CO2 charge exemption for EU exporters.

The EC has said that it will present a final proposal for a CBAM by mid-2021.

Europe: Australia-based Calix has announced that construction will begin on its second low emissions intensity lime and cement (Leilac) carbon capture and storage (CCS) installation at a ‘European cement plant’ on 7 April 2020. ASX ComNews has reported that collaborators on the project, which has received Euro16m under the EU’s Horizon 2020 grant scheme, are Portugal-based Cimpor, Germany-based HeidelbergCement, Germany and France-based energy companies Ingenieurbüro-Kühlerbau-Neustadt (IKN) and Engie and Belgium-based minerals and lime company Lhoist. Calix has said that the 100,000t/yr process emissions capture facility will be operational in late 2024.
The company has appointed Emma Bowring Leilac-2 project leader.

The first Leilac installation was completed at HeidelbergCement’s 1.5Mt/yr integrated Lixhe plant in Belgium’s Limburg province in mid-2019.