Displaying items by tag: Solar power

Austria: Holcim is set to significantly reduce its carbon footprint with the installation of a new clinker cooler system and a large-scale photovoltaic system at its Mannersdorf cement plant. The clinker cooler project is valued at approximately €10m, and aims to cut heat consumption and reduce CO₂ emissions by 18,000t/yr. Completion is expected in early 2025. The solar project will be fully operational by 2025, and will cover approximately 15% of the plant’s energy needs and reduce CO₂ emissions by an additional 12,700t/yr. 2.7MW of solar panels were erected at the site of the former chimney on the plant’s premises.

Plant manager Helmut Reiterer said "Sustainability requires decarbonisation, i.e. continuously reducing the CO₂ emissions from our production activities. We are placing an investment focus on energy-efficient production by modernising our machinery, but also on expanding green energy."

India: Union Steel and Heavy Industries Minister Haradanahalli Kumaraswamy has visited the Cement Corporation of India (CCI) plant in Bokajan, Assam, where he emphasised the potential of the facility to benefit local communities. During his visit, Kumaraswamy inaugurated a hot gas utilisation project at the plant's raw mills and laid the foundation for a 1MW grid-connected solar photovoltaic plant, reports the Deccan Herald. He also discussed important local issues, including the need for upgrades at the Bokajan cement factory and pollution control. CCI chair and managing director Sanjay Verma outlined plans to upgrade the plant’s equipment over the next three years and highlighted the employment of local labour as vital for regional economic growth.

India: Oriana Power subsidiary TrueRE Surya has won a contract to build a 128MW solar power plant in Tamil Nadu for Dalmia Cement (Bharat), supporting its target to use 100% renewable electricity by 2030 and become carbon negative by 2040.

The project cost approximately US$62m and will be commissioned within the next 12 months, according to Energetica India Magazine. As part of the contract, Dalmia Cement (Bharat) will acquire 26% of TrueRE Surya for US$5.3m, with the transaction finalising within four to six months.

Oriana Power Chief business officer Anirudh Saraswat said “We are also humbled by the trust posed in Oriana Power’s ability to execute mega solar projects by the largest companies and are equally excited to take another big step forward in helping India meet its renewable energy goals through this partnership.”

India: Dalmia Bharat announced that its subsidiary, Dalmia Cement (Bharat), has entered into a share subscription and shareholders agreement to acquire a 26% stake in Truere Surya for US$5.3m. Truere Surya will establish a solar power project in Tamil Nadu, aligning with Dalmia Bharat’s goals to become carbon negative by 2040.

The solar project will have a capacity of 128MW. Completion of the transaction is anticipated within 4 - 6 months, pending customary conditions.

Burkina Faso: The stone laying ceremony took place on Thursday 8 August 2024 at Ciments de l'Afrique’s (CIMAF) new calcined clay production unit and solar power plant at its plant in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The calcined clay unit is valued at US$50m, while the solar power plant cost US$5.5m, reports Burkina 24. Completion is expected by August 2026.

Ibrahim Traore, president of Burkina Faso, said “The accompanying solar unit should make it possible to reduce production costs and we hope that in a few years, this technology will become popular and will make it possible to reduce cement costs.”

Anas Sefrioui, chair and CEO of CIMAF Group, said “The calcined clay that we will produce here in Burkina will serve as an alternative raw material to imported materials, particularly clinker.”

India: Oriana Power has received an order for a 40MWp solar power plant in Rajasthan from a cement producer. The project is valued at US$18m. Oriana will provide engineering, procurement and construction, alongside the commissioning, operation and maintenance of the plant. The plant is scheduled for commissioning in April 2025, with a subsequent operation and maintenance period of 25 years.

India: Shree Cement says that it has reached 1GW captive power capacity across its plants, after commissioning a new 19.5MW solar power plant at a facility in Andhra Pradesh. Renewables account for 499MW (50%) of the total. Shree Cement says that its investments in renewables to date total US$479m. NBM & CW News has reported that the company has current planned new investments worth US$120m in renewables. This will cover 132MW-worth of solar, 36MW of wind and 34MW of waste heat recovery power capacity.

Germany: Rohrdorfer has started operation of a new photovoltaic (PV) unit at its Rohrdorf cement plant near Rosenheim in Upper Bavaria. The rooftop PV installation comprises 1000 modules, covers around 2000m2 and has a peak output of 400kW. The construction time of the solar panels took five weeks. Modules supplied by Hecker Solar were installed by Elektro Ecker.

The cement plant has produced around one third of its electricity requirements via a waste heat recovery unit since 2011. Rohrdorf Group aims to generate 30% of its electricity from renewable sources as a whole by 2033.

India: Dalmia Cement (Bharat) has signed a power purchase agreement with BluPine Energy to establish a 47MW solar power plant in Karnataka. The plant will generate approximately 94 million kWh of electricity annually and reduce over 85,000t/yr of CO₂ emissions.

CEO of BluPine Energy, Neerav Nanavaty, said "The solar plant in Karnataka will not only produce clean energy but also foster local economic growth and support environmental sustainability. This project will help reduce operating costs and improve energy efficiency."

India: Dalmia Cement (Bharat) will acquire a 19.2% stake in Amplus Kaveri Solar for US$1.94m. This transaction is subject to customary conditions and is expected to complete within eight to nine weeks.