Displaying items by tag: Sustainability

India: Visaka Industries plans to invest US$15.7m in the construction of a new cement boards plant in West Midnapore, West Bengal. United News of India has reported that the plant will produce the company's Vnext fibre cement board product. When commissioned in August 2023, it will increase Visaka Industries' Vnext boards production capacity to 72,000t/yr. The producer will equip the plant with an ATUM Solar Roof integrated solar power unit, eliminating 840,000t/yr of Scope 2 CO₂ emissions. Visaka Industries plans to employ 500 people at the plant, and additionally support its host community in Shalbani Dakhinshole through its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

Thailand: Siam Cement Group (SCG) will invest US$2.89bn in new renewable power infrastructure across its businesses. Major growth areas include 3000MW of solar power generation capacity. This will increase group solar capacity by a factor of 15. Saur Energy News has reported that the renewable power projects will support the company’s on-going decarbonisation investments in cement and other businesses.

SCG is committed to achieving a circular business model and net zero CO₂ emissions by 2050.

Europe: Cembureau has welcomed a satisfactory conclusion to talks over the new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) under the European Union (EU) Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). Negotiators from different EU institutions agreed to a gradual CBAM implementation, which will officially commence in October 2023. Free allocations of ETS credits to the EU cement sector and other industries will phase out between 2026 and 2034. During this transition period, CBAM duties will apply to imported products in proportion to EU production not covered by free allocation.

Cembureau's chief executive Koen Coppenholle said “The agreements on CBAM and ETS are essential to create a global level playing field on CO₂ and support our sector in its transition to carbon neutrality. It is positive that the EU institutions strengthened some key aspects of CBAM. We however regret that the adopted texts do not provide a structural solution for exports. Some EU countries export up to 50% of their domestic cement production and these will be at risk should no concrete export solution be found before 2026.”

Coppenholle added “Looking ahead, we need to focus on CBAM implementation and its water-tightness, to ensure the mechanism fully equalises CO₂ costs between EU and non-EU suppliers. It is also essential that policymakers support EU industries like cement, which are confronted with unsustainably high energy costs at a time some of our trading partners are launching massive subsidy programmes. CBAM, ETS and a strong innovation fund are essential parts of the puzzle, but we look forward to European Commission proposals for a truly ambitious industrial policy, as requested by the European Council in its meeting of 15 December 2022.”

Ireland: CRH has announced the launch of its new innovation investments company CRH Ventures. The new subsidiary has funds of US$250m and will focus on the technologies that address the construction sector's core challenges. The group said that CRH Ventures' investment decisions will assess potential for decarbonisation, automation and the development of advanced sustainable building products, among other factors.

CRH's CEO Albert Manifold said "The launch of CRH Ventures demonstrates our continued commitment to investing in new technologies that will shape the built environment of tomorrow. CRH Ventures will serve as a valuable partner to start-ups and entrepreneurs, which will benefit from the technical capabilities, knowledge and expertise of a global industry leader, to pilot and scale new technologies and innovations that will enable safer, smarter and more sustainable construction.”

Switzerland: Cemex's innovation investments subsidiary Cemex Ventures has made a further investment in solar-powered clinker production system developer Synhelion. Synhelion's technology enables cement plants to entirely replace fuels in their cement production with concentrated solar heat. Cemex Ventures said that its investment reflects the importance of sustainable fuel alternatives for Cemex's 2050 net zero CO₂ emissions strategy.

Other investors include oil company Eni, engineering company SMS Group and airline Swiss.

UK: Heidelberg Materials subsidiary Hanson has awarded a contract to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries subsidiary MHI Engineering for installation of a planned 800,000t/yr carbon capture system at its Padeswood cement plant in Flintshire. The producer plans to store its captured CO₂ in exhausted Irish Sea natural gas fields. MHI Engineering will carry out a pre-front-end engineering design study using its Advanced KM CDR solvent-based process. The supplier developed the process jointly with fellow Japan-based company Kansai Electric Power.

The project will be MHI Engineering's third of its kind at a cement plant, following similar commissions with Lehigh Cement in Canada and Tokuyama Cement in Canada.

Europe: The European Parliament (EP) of member states and the Council of the EU have concluded a provisional deal over plans for an EU carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM). Under the plans, importers of a range of emissions-intensive goods, including cement, will have to pay to obtain CBAM certificates for products entering the EU. Goods produced in countries with the same CO₂ emissions reduction measures as the EU will be exempt from requiring a certificate. CNBC News has reported that the mechanism will enter force with a transition period beginning in October 2023. This is subject to ratification by the EP and member states independently.

EP member for the Netherlands Mohammed Chahim said “CBAM will be a crucial pillar of European climate policies. It is one of the only mechanisms we have to incentivise our trading partners to decarbonise their manufacturing industry.”

India: Adani Cement has announced the launch of a dedicated waste processing subsidiary called Geoclean. Geoclean will process waste for recycling and use as alternative fuel (AF) in its cement production and alternative raw materials in its production of other building materials. Geoclean inherits the projects and all 14 waste management plants of its predecessor company Geocycle India. The Orissa Diary newspaper has reported that Geoclean aims to help Adani Cement to co-process 3.7Mt of AF over the five-year period up to the end of 2027. This would raise its subsidiaries ACC and Ambuja Cements’ AF substitution rate to 30%, from 6% in 2021.

Adani Cement CEO Ajay Kapur said "We are committed to building a sustainable future by adopting clean and green technologies in our overall business. We have always believed in environmental conservation, and are committed to making the optimum contribution towards co-processing waste responsibly for a sustainable future. Adani Cement will continue its endeavours to promote sustainability and build a cleaner and greener planet."

Colombia: Cemex has announced the launch of the Tunjuelo Circularity Centre at its former Tunjuelo quarry near Bogotá. Having rebuilt parts of the 50m-deep quarry with demolition waste, Cemex will now work on its ecological restoration, while continuing to receive excavation waste for reconstruction of the ground. It will meanwhile divert demolition waste deliveries for recycling in aggregate production. In Bogotá, Cemex has launched an initiative for urban construction partnerships in collaboration with local authorities. It will also collect municipal solid waste (MSW) there for use in its cement production and collect its used plastic cement bags for recycling in building materials production.

Cemex’s Colombia and Peru president Alejandro Ramírez said "This is a pioneering model for Cemex in the construction materials industry globally, which we aim to position as a benchmark for circularity within the sustainable development of large cities in Colombia and the world. A piece of land that supplied materials for Bogotá's development for decades has received construction and demolition waste for its redevelopment and was transformed into a green area to the south of the city, an epicenter of the circular economy and an opportunity for urban development for the capital city of Colombia." 


Kenya: Savannah Cement has hired China-based Sinoma International Engineering for construction of its upcoming 2.92Mt/yr Kitui clinker plant in Eastern Province. The plant will additionally have a 900,000t/yr grinding unit, a 35MW fossil fuel-fired captive power plant and a 13MW waste heat recovery (WHR) system. Savannah Cement chair Benson Ndeta said that the plant will convert to 100% solar and WHR-powered production by the end of 2029.

Sinoma International Engineering plans to commence the project immediately, and to complete it in late 2024.