Spain: Cemex has announced the definitive closure of its clinker production kilns at the Lloseta plant, aligning its operations with the global 'Future in Action' programme that targets carbon neutrality by 2050.

The company has confirmed its plans to the government and the Lloseta City Council to dismantle the two cyclone towers at the Lloseta plant by 31 December 2030. While clinker production will cease, the site will continue to engage in grinding, storage, marketing and dispatch of bulk and bagged cement; maintain its regional offices, aggregate treatment plant, ground transport base and operate the Can Negret quarry in Alaró.

The plant’s closure has led to the dismissal of six of the seven employees who worked at the kilns. Cemex has offered these workers positions at other company production centres.

Kyrgyzstan: The Eurasian Development Bank is financing the construction of the Kulanak hydropower Plant with a capacity of 100MW and a new clinker line at the Kant cement plant.

"The substantial growth in the bank's investment portfolio in Kyrgyzstan, which reached 61.6% of the investments planned in the country strategy for 2022-2026, reflects the bank's commitment to increasing its project activities in the region," said Nikolai Podguzov, Chairman of the EDB Board, during a meeting with Kyrgyzstan's Finance Minister, Almaz Baketaev.

Spain: Çimsa has invested €4.2m in launching a solar photovoltaic power plant to power its white cement plant in Buñol, Valencia. The solar plant has a capacity of 7.2MW and will supply about 18% of the energy needs for the cement plant.

The facility features 11,000 solar panels spread over 100,000m². This new solar power plant is expected to produce approximately 12GWh/yr of electricity, reducing CO₂ emissions by about 3000t/yr.

Europe: Cembureau has released an update to its net zero roadmap. The roadmap now aims for a 37% reduction in CO₂ emissions related to cement production by 2030, 78% by 2040 and net zero cement production by 2050, with potential to become carbon negative.

The roadmap also states the key policy measures needed to meet these updated goals, including: The implementation of a watertight carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), the increase in funding for decarbonisation initiatives, the need for guaranteed access to affordable decarbonised energy, infrastructure and raw materials, as well as the creation of lead markets for low carbon, circular products.

President of Cembureau, Ken McKnight said "In the past four years, the European cement sector has clearly moved from ambition to deployment. We have the potential to scale up our climate ambition, but we need policymakers to match this ambition through decisive policies."