CEMEX hydrogen project in Dominican Republic

‘Future in Action’ hydrogen technology implemented at San Pedro De Macoris cement plant

CEMEX are implementing hydrogen technology at their San Pedro De Macoris cement plant, in the Dominican Republic, as part of their Future in Action programme that seeks to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Fernando A. Gonzalez, chief executive officer of CEMEX, who was on hand for the project’s inauguration, said: ‘Through projects like this, we reiterate our commitment to leveraging innovation to meet our ambitious sustainability and CO2-reduction goals. Hydrogen is a key technology for our Future in Action programme, as an accelerator for our efforts to transform waste into energy and as a potential carbon-free fuel source.’

CEMEX’s current leveraging of hydrogen technology includes its injection into kilns to optimize the combustion process and increase the use of alternative fuels. Both are essential levers for the company’s 2030 goal to reduce CO2 emissions in the cement production process by approximately 40%. In the first half of 2022, CEMEX increased their use of alternative fuels by 5 percentage points, reaching an all-time-high 33% substitution rate.

CEMEX are one of the pioneers in the adoption of hydrogen technology in the building materials industry, with successful projects running since 2019. As of 2021, the company has used hydrogen in all its European plants and expects to continue scaling its use in other operations worldwide.

CEMEX are also working with several partners to discover and pilot breakthrough technologies for hydrogen to be used as zero-carbon primary fuel source in cement production. Among their major innovation projects is a partnership with Hiiroc, a leader in technology for low-cost, zero-emission hydrogen generation. The company also participated in the creation of the first renewable hydrogen industrial plant in Spain, in collaboration with Acciona and Enagas.