Focus on high energy prices, security of supply for green electricity, expansion of grid infrastructure, and reliable framework conditions for new technologies.
How can cement and concrete production further reduce CO2 emissions while remaining competitive? This was the focus of discussions yesterday between State Secretary Elisabeth Zehetner and Alpacem Managing Director Lutz Weber during a visit to the Alpacem site in Klagenfurt. Key topics included the company’s decarbonisation strategy, high energy prices, the increasing future demand for electricity due to industrial decarbonisation, and the prerequisites for further investment in lower-CO2 production processes and new technologies.
During a visit to the first concrete plant operated using district heating, and in subsequent discussions, the market leader for cement, concrete, and raw materials in the Alpe-Adria region explained the measures Alpacem is taking to gradually reduce emissions from its products and production processes. These include, among other things, the use of lower-CO2 raw materials and fuels, as well as the expansion of the circular economy. In the long term, new technologies for carbon capture, storage, and utilisation will also play an important role in achieving European climate targets.
Decarbonisation requires affordable energy, high-performance grids, and planning certainty for future technologies
Many of these measures are associated with increased electricity demand. At the same time, high energy prices are already posing significant economic challenges for energy-intensive companies. For the continued decarbonisation of industry, a secure and sustainable energy supply, robust power grids, and competitive energy prices are therefore essential. Equally important are reliable and forward-looking regulatory frameworks to ensure that new technologies can be tested, approved, and deployed at industrial scale in a timely manner. Only in this way can long-term investment be enabled and industrial value creation in Carinthia be secured.
“The decarbonisation of our industry is a long-term task that requires significant investment and close cooperation between companies, policymakers, and public administration. To achieve this, we need not only a high-performance energy infrastructure, but also clear, reliable, and forward-looking framework conditions for the deployment of new technologies. Direct dialogue is particularly valuable for us in bringing practical experience to the table and jointly creating viable conditions for further investment,” explains Lutz Weber, Managing Director of Alpacem.
The visit provided an opportunity to align practical operational requirements with the federal government’s energy and industrial policy objectives. “The transformation of industry will succeed when innovation, climate protection, and competitiveness are considered together. Through its investments, Alpacem demonstrates how decarbonisation and the circular economy can be implemented in practice. Such discussions are important for better understanding the needs of companies and for further developing the framework conditions for a future-proof industry,” said State Secretary Elisabeth Zehetner during the visit to Alpacem.
Alpacem intends to consistently continue the decarbonisation of its production and to maintain dialogue with policymakers, public administration, and other partners. The goal is to develop solutions that combine climate protection, secure supply of regionally produced construction materials, and a competitive industrial base in Austria.
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