Taiwan Cement and Asia Cement to upgrade environmental equipment in China

Anticipating stricter environmental regulations for cement producers in China, Taiwan Cement Co plans to invest TWD700m (US$23.8m) to upgrade its NOx and SOx abatement equipment, while Asia Cement is considering the same step. 

Taiwan Cement International Holdings Ltd. has started installing new equipment in its Chongqing plant, aiming to decrease NOx emissions by 60 per cent, with the same works ongoing at the plants in Guizhou and other areas.

According to an industry insider says the Chinese government will likely stipulate NOx emission/m3 to as low as 300mg, significantly below the international strict standard of 400mg. As a result of the measures, the cost of cement production is forecast to rise to TWD15-17.5/t.

With costs to upgrade equipment to meet this tougher standard at about TWD100m per set, it is expected that many small and large cement producers in China will suffer losses.

While China counts over 3000 cement makers, only two in Xiangtan, Hunan Province, and a further two in Chengdu (Sichuan Province) have such equipment while around a third is unable to afford abatement measures.