Saudi Arabia City Cement enters joint venture with Next Generation SCM for low carbon concrete solution

The pioneering process to produce the premium SCM is highly energy efficient, needing only a sixth of the fuel required for traditional cement production and operating at much lower temperatures. This lowers operating costs and generates significantly fewer emissions. In the existing factory in Denmark, the technology is able to produce calcined clay while generating only 8 kilos of CO₂ per t, which is a 99% reduction compared to the IEA average of 600 kilograms per tonne for cement.

A cubic metre of concrete traditionally carries 210 kilograms of CO₂. The use of premium calcined clay SCM made by the Next Generation SCM and City Cement joint venture can reduce the carbon emissions from standardised concrete by up to 58%.

The joint venture’s first factory will be built in Riyadh, with the aim to begin production by the third quarter of 2025. It has an annual production target of 350 000 t in the first year, and 700 000 t in year two.

Christian Husum, CEO and Founder of Next Generation SCM said “There are over 4 billion people who live in urban areas right now, and that is going to increase by 2 billion over the next 30 years. This is a massive, global building project, which is equivalent to building an additional New York City every month. Those cities will also need the infrastructure to cope with an influx of people and there is no way to do that without concrete. There is also no way for our planet to cope with concrete production at that scale unless we find a way of producing it without generating enormous amounts of carbon emissions. Now, there is a way. This joint venture will put the process into practice to bring about a revolution in how we build everything from stadiums to skyscrapers in Saudi Arabia, the Middle East, and then the world.”

The pioneering Danish company CemGreen has developed and patented the CemTower technology which has shown impressive results, and the joint venture will introduce and expand the use of the CemTower Technology in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Traditional alternatives to SCM include fly ash from coalfired energy production and slag from steel production, which are not produced locally in Saudi Arabia. This joint venture between Next Generation SCM and City Cement will be the first producer of premium calcined clay SCM in Saudi Arabia.

Neil Crompton, British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, commented: “I am delighted to see City Cement KSA partner with the UK's Next Generation SCM. This joint venture will be a first for Saudi Arabia, producing Sustainable Cementitious Materials that will contribute to a significant reduction in environmental emissions, and facilitate a Vision 2030 goal of sustainable infrastructure development for Saudi Arabia'.

Majed Alosailan, CEO and Board Member of City Cement said “This joint venture is a significant step in our commitment to the continued growth of Saudi Arabia as a global materials and infrastructure hub. Not only will it support domestic job creation, it will also dramatically improve accessibility to a critical low carbon material that we will soon be able to export around the region. As the materials transition continues to accelerate, finding solutions that support the Kingdom’s infrastructure ambitions hand in hand with sustainability targets is essential to realise the opportunity ahead.”

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/asia-pacific-rim/10102024/saudi-arabia-city-cement-enters-joint-venture-with-next-generation-scm-for-low-carbon-concrete-solution/