Cemex Philippines is looking into burning solid waste fuel at its plant in APO Cement plant in Naga City, southern Cebu.

Rolando Vera Cruz, sustainability director of Cemex Philippines, told The Sun Star that the company hopes to process 300t of waste a day, equivalent to 15 per cent of the total waste generated by the Cebu province. Cemex has joined forces with two waste material recovery facilities, one in Naga City itself and the other in Cebu City.

Mr Vera Cruz said the programme has been implemented in line with the National Government’s Philippine Energy Plan, which calls for energy self-sufficiency and promotes waste-to-energy projects.

As Cemex looks to keep pace with market growth, the APO cement works has been the focus of an expansion project which will see capacity rise 1.5Mta. Through an investment of approximately US$65m, the company will not only lift production but strengthen the company's distribution network. The increase is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2014.