CEMEX hydrogen technology success
Hydrogen now used as part of fuel mix at all CEMEX cement plants in Europe; rapid global deployment to follow
CEMEX announced today [22 February] that they have successfully introduced ground-breaking hydrogen technology as part of their fuel mix in all of their cement plants in Europe.
With an estimated US$40 million investment programme, the company is now moving quickly to extend this technology to the rest of its operations around the world, including Mexico, the US, South and Central America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia.
CEMEX say innovative hydrogen-based technology that emits zero CO2 from combustion allows for further reduction of fossil fuels, improves energy efficiency and, consequently, represents another milestone towards their CO2 emission-reduction targets.
The company executed initial trials of the technology at its Alicante cement plant, in Spain, in July 2019 and quickly confirmed its potential as a lever to significantly reduce CO2 emissions.
Last year, the technology was installed in all CEMEX cement plants across Europe, and in 2021 the company will roll it out to virtually all operations globally.
‘The fast adoption of this new hydrogen-based technology is a clear example of CEMEX’s innovation efforts and strong commitment to decarbonize the cement production process,’ said Roberto Ponguta, CEMEX vice-president of global operations, technical and energy.
‘We continue to identify and deploy existing technologies which have a high potential to contribute to our sustainability goals, and hydrogen is a key lever.’
In 2020, CEMEX announced their Climate Action strategy, defining a global target of a 35% reduction of CO2 emissions per tonne of cementitious products by 2030.
For their operations in Europe, CEMEX also defined a 55% reduction target, in line with what the European Commission set as a new goal for all its member states.
To complement this strategy with a longer-term vision, CEMEX also established an ambition to deliver net-zero CO2 concrete to all their customers globally by 2050.
