UK: Cemex has announced a Euro21m investment in an upgrade to its Rugby cement plant. The planned upgrade incorporates green hydrogen into the plant’s cement production process. The company says that the upgrade will enable it to shift to 100% alternative fuel (AF) substitution from fossil fuel use. It said the move is a step towards carbon neutrality in line with its Future in Action programme. The upgrade is expected to be fully operational in June 2021.

Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia regional president Sergio Menendez said, “We believe that this very significant investment in this upgraded facility supports Cemex’s position to minimise the use of fossil fuels for both environmental and economic reasons. It will enable the Rugby plant to consistently operate with up to 100% AF, which will contribute to our climate action targets.”

Russia: Eurocement and the Toshka Centre group of companies have signed an agreement on cooperation in the use of alternative fuels (AF) at Eurocement’s cement plants. The partners signed the agreement within the framework of the Russian Environmental Operator’s nationwide Ecology project. The main area of cooperation between the parties will be the implementation of AF substitution at the cement producer’s gas-burning kiln lines. The Toshka Centre will create an AF production network to supply the producer’s operations.

Innovation and technical development vice president Sergey Demakov said, “The use of AF will allow Eurocement group to reduce natural gas consumption and show savings in fuel purchase costs at the initial stage of the project alone by 10%.”

France: LafargeHolcim subsidiary Lafarge France has completed a Euro6m modernisation of the two waste processing lines at its Port-La-Nouvelle cement plant. The final phase of modernisation aimed at increasing dosing and injection capacities, optimising unloading, replacing fire detection and protection systems and expanding the control laboratory. The company said that the modernisation will enable it to use 80,000t/yr of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) in cement production at the plant. It says that this will reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions by 30,000t/yr. As a result, the plant’s fossil fuel consumption will decline by 75% in 2021 and by 90% in 2022 compared to 2020 levels. Its long-term aim is to become Europe’s first fossil fuel-free cement plant.

Spain: The regional government of Extremadura has granted a licence to Cementos Balboa for the use olive pumice and tyres as alternative fuels (AF) at its Alconera cement plant. Agencia EFE has reported that the company has begun work on modifications to the plant’s kiln line in order to enable it to reach a thermal substitution rate of 70%. The project includes building reception, storage, dosage and injection units for the fuels. Once complete the plant aims to process 130,000t/yr of olive pomace, 121,000t/yr of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) and 69,000t/yr of tyres. The plant currently uses petcoke.