Landmark energy-connection deal for CEMEX UK

Vulcan burners help company access energy and CO2 savings via £5 million fuel-switching investment

A LANDMARK utilities connection agreement has seen CEMEX UK reduce operational expenditure and CO2 emissions through an innovative third-party investment solution from Decarbon Capital.

The two organizations have successfully achieved a significant private investment whereby CEMEX will connect 10 of their UK sites to the national gas and power transmission systems.

The investment will reduce the company’s dependency on transported fuel oil and diesel, saving 7,500 tonnes of CO2 annually and achieving a material reduction in their annual energy costs.

Decarbon Capital provided the investment mechanism with performance-based repayments and sourced the most appropriate funds to achieve CEMEX’s goals.

The key element to guarantee the success of the savings was the choice of the Vulcan range of combustion burners, bringing the total number of Vulcan units in operation throughout the UK this year to 34.

Designed and built in the UK by Asphalt Burner Services, Vulcan burners are said to deliver the most efficient combustion solution in the asphalt production process.

This latest investment follows on from a successful precursor fuel-switching investment at CEMEX’s Lincoln plant in August 2013, after CEMEX and Decarbon signed an agreement to explore and implement funded energy-saving solutions designed to reduce both operational costs and environmental impact.

The funds for this project were provided by independent infrastructure and private equity investment managers, the Foresight Group.

Vulcan Burners, who work closely with third-party investors and assist customers with funding from the Carbon Trust, to allow asphalt producers to implement replacement burner projects, are confident that their burner will deliver fuel savings that are sufficient to finance the project over a short period of time.