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Displaying items by tag: Energy
India: Solar power plant developer Oriana Power has received a US$4.2m order to supply a solar power plant to a cement producer in Rajasthan. The supplier says that it will build a 7MW ground-mounted array at the site of cement plant belonging to the producer. The engineering, procurement and construction will take until the end of January 2024.
Rondo Energy raises US$60m from investors
18 August 2023US: 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.”
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: Prism Cement has taken delivery of a pendulum cooler supplied by Germany-based IKN at its Prism cement plant in Maharashtra. The new equipment will replace the 6.1Mt/yr plant's existing air beam technology cooler. The supplier says that this will help to improve the efficiency of waste heat recovery (WHR) processes at the plant.
Greece/US: Titan Cement Group has made new venture capital investments in two US-based disruptive technology suppliers. The cement producer enlarged its investment in energy storage specialist Rondo Energy, which has developed the Heat Battery. The technology enables cement plants and other industrial operations to access a constant supply of electricity using captive renewable energy sources. It also invested in venture capital firm Zacua Ventures, which handles a portfolio of companies involved in developing optimisation, automation and Construction 4.0 technology, including products relevant to the cement industry.
Titan Group Chief Sustainability and Innovation Officer Leonidas Canellopoulos said “We are committed to embracing innovation and fresh perspectives. By engaging with advanced construction and green technology startups through direct and indirect investments, as well as collaborations, we intend to forge more partnerships in the sector.”
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."
Kyrgyzstan: Kant Cement has successfully transitioned Grinding Unit 8 of its Kant cement plant to closed cycle grinding operations. Business World News has reported that China-based CNBM Beijing Triumph carried out the work. The transition has increased the unit's production capacity by 30 - 40%.
Kant Cement's general director Pavel Dekhtyarev said "The mill previously produced 40t/hr of CEM II cement and 30t/hr of CEM I cement. Now it produces 58t/hr and 50t/hr, respectively. With this productivity, it was possible to reduce the specific energy consumption by 30% and reduce dust emissions. In addition, closed circuit grinding allows us to produce high grades of cement that could not be obtained with open circuit grinding systems."
Lafarge Emirates Cement hires Turboden for Fujairah cement plant waste heat recovery plant
07 July 2023UAE: Lafarge Emirates Cement, part of Holcim, has awarded a contract to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group subsidiary Turboden to supply and install a 10MW waste heat recovery (WHR) system at its Fujairah cement plant. The system relies on ENGIE Solutions' organic Rankine cycle technology. The supplier says that the installation will reduce the 3.2Mt/yr cement plant's energy-related CO2 emissions by 29,000t/yr (28%).
Turboden CEO Paolo Bertuzzi said "We are proud that Holcim Group, already our customer for three other WHR plants, has again chosen Turboden for this first project in the UAE. At COP 28, this year in the UAE, we will have the opportunity to present this energy-saving and CO2-reducing project to raise awareness in energy intensive industries."
Peru: UNACEM Peru said that it reduced its CO2 emissions per tonne of cement by 2.7% year-on-year during 2022. Throughout the year, the company reduced its electricity consumption by 3.4%. It sourced 90% of its electricity from renewable sources and met 70% of its fuel needs with natural gas. UNACEM Peru is committed to reaching carbon neutral cement production by 2050.
In terms of community engagement, the producer benefitted 76,700 people through its social infrastructure investments and 14,1000 people through its dialogue space initiatives, and provided its remote health guidance service to 3000 people.
Ethiopia: Derba MIDROC Cement is reportedly ready to sign a contract with China National Building Material (CNBM), for the latter to commence construction of Derba MIDROC Cement's 2.74Mt/yr Mughar Valley cement plant in Oromia. The producer said that it expects to invest US$500m in the project, 30% higher than its previous estimate of US$385m. Addis Fortune has reported that Derba MIDROC Cement now believes there to be adequate energy infrastructure to support the plant, following China-based Sinohydro's construction of a new US$12m power line from nearby Chanco.
When commissioned, the plant will double Derba MIDROC Cement's capacity and create 3000 new jobs in Oromia. The producer also hopes to ease the ongoing national cement shortage. The Ministry of Mines recorded domestic production of 7.6Mt in 2022, against demand of 36Mt.