07 September 2023

Spain: A cross-industry group of companies has launched All4Zero, a platform to speed up development of renewable fuels and the CO₂ capture in Spain. Representatives from steel-maker ArcelorMittal, oil producer Repsol and cement producer Holcim launched the platform on 6 September 2023 in Madrid, describing All4Zero as "a unique industrial technological innovation hub in Spain, of a private, multi-sector and non-profit nature, which will promote disruptive technologies in the field of renewable fuels, circular materials, CO₂ capture and conversion or renewable hydrogen, among others.” All partners share the common objective of net zero operations by 2050.

All4Zero will focus on the scale-up of early-stage technologies developed by private companies, universities, research centres and start-ups, and will allow them to validate their technological developments in real industrial environments, thus bridging the gap between ideas and implementation. Participants will be able to participate in technical conferences and carry out concept tests in the facilities provided by the industrial partners.

Morocco: Data from the Association Professionnelle des Cimentiers du Maroc (APCM) shows that the country produced 1.15Mt of cement in August 2023, 7.6% more than in August 2023. However, during the first eight months of 2023, the country produced 8.1Mt of cement, 0.8% less than the 8.2Mt made during the same period of 2022.

US: Dragon Products Company, a subsidiary of Giant Cement, has announced that it will close its plant located in Thomaston, Maine. The facility, which has been operational for almost 100 years, and has been under Dragon's ownership since 2006, will undergo a gradual shutdown, beginning in December 2023.

Dragon said that the closure had been prompted by the persistent escalation of operating and logistical costs, exerting a negative impact on the Thomaston plant's viability. "Despite our best efforts to adapt and navigate through these challenging circumstances, we have determined that these actions are necessary for the long-term sustainability of our business,” explained Roberto Polit, Vice President of Operations. Phased lay-offs are scheduled to commence in December 2023, with the process anticipated to conclude by the beginning of 2025.

"We extend our sincere gratitude to all employees who have contributed significantly to our plant in Thomaston," added Polit. "Their hard work, dedication, and commitment have been invaluable to our operations. We are also grateful for the support and understanding shown by the local community throughout the years."

Chile: Utility firm Colbun has begun construction of a 9.9MW captive solar photovoltaic plant for Cementos Polpaico’s Cerro Blanco cement plant in the Santiago Metropolitan Region. Colbun and Polpaico Soluciones hailed it as the largest solar self-consumption project in Chile.

The Cerro Blanco solar farm will occupy 12 hectares in the Tiltil commune. It will consist of 15,000 bifacial solar modules mounted on trackers for optimal power generation, with a production output estimated at approximately 21.5GWh/yr.

Colbun’s energy services unit Colbun Soluciones by Efizity will build and operate the solar farm. The companies expect the self-consumption system to commence operation during the first half of 2024. It will complement Polpaico’s existing supply of renewable power, which it has received from Colbun under a long-term agreement since 2018.

South Korea: The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) launched the Carbon Neutrality Grand Consortium on 5 September 2023. It aims to roll-out its US$31m CO₂ neutrality technology development project, launched earlier in 2023, across all industry sectors, including cement production. The government will assist companies by investing more than 80% of the total project budget into demonstration projects by 2030.
The Carbon Neutrality Grand Consortium is split into four sub-consortiums: steel; petrochemicals; semiconductors/displays; and cement. Unusually, the results will be made available to companies that are not participating in projects of their own, in order to accelerate the exchange and spread of carbon neutrality technologies and successful outcomes across all sectors.

MOTIE’s Vice Minister Youngjin Jang stated that carbon neutrality within South Korean industry depended on the development of an innovative technologies that enable ground-breaking carbon reductions without disrupting productivity, while also pursuing solidarity and cooperation with other firms to spread the breakthrough technology across the entire industrial ecosystem.