CEMEX shifts towards more sustainable energy sources
Published by Emily Thomas,
Deputy Editor
World Cement,
Currently in Spain 39% of the electricity that CEMEX consumes is CO2-free and work is being done to increase this figure in the coming years. Since the Climate Action strategy was established at a global level in mid-2020, the company's centres in Spain have been working on the design and installation of solar power plants for self-consumption in their cement factories.
In parallel to this, the company has implemented a GPS system throughout its transport fleet to improve the efficiency of its vehicles, design more effective route plans and reduce fuel consumption to cut CO2 emissions. Likewise, another energy efficiency project committed to the circular economy is the Alicante sludge drying plant, a facility that removes moisture from the sludge, from different water treatment plants in the province, with the heat given off by the furnaces. Subsequently, they are used as fuel, without having used any energy consumption in the drying process.
Since 2019, CEMEX United Kingdom has used 100% renewable electricity, supplied by the ENGIE energy group, in its 150 work centres. This agreement has helped drive the decarbonisation agenda in the United Kingdom, allowing other services of the company, such as load management to avoid peak rates and achieve a fast frequency response. Later, in 2020, CEMEX announced a similar commitment for its 32 plants in Poland. All electricity consumed in that country now comes from renewable sources, including wind power, through its energy partner PGE Obrót.
In September of the same year, CEMEX announced that, together with its partner Synhelion, it is developing an innovative technology that eliminates carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the cement production process through the use of solar energy. CO2 emissions will be captured and then converted into synthetic fuels using Synhelion technology.
For all these reasons, CEMEX is positioned in Europe to lead the reduction of emissions in the construction materials sector, as a consequence of many years of work and research with the aim of reducing its carbon emissions and alignment with environmental regulations and policies of the EU.
In 2020, it took on the EU's new aspirations to reduce CO2 emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and reached the company's global CO2 reduction target of 35% (a decade earlier than committed).
CEMEX's Climate Action strategy launched in February 2020 outlines the company's vision to move towards a carbon-neutral economy and addresses the growing demands of society more efficiently.
For CEMEX, climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time and the company supports the urgency of collective action with a multitude of initiatives aimed at facing this challenge successfully.
Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/europe-cis/15022021/cemex-shifts-towards-more-sustainable-energy-sources/
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