Ambuja Cement to start biofuel sea trials

Ambuja Cement (LafargeHolcim group) is commencing sea trails for using biofuels in its fleet of captive ships, Ambuja Mukund, a move which is estimated to reduce carbon emission by around 25 per cent, claims the company.

"With the introduction of biodiesel blends, we are significantly contributing towards the reduction of GHG emissions by introducing a suitable alternate green fuel that helps achieve our parent, LafargeHolcim’s sustainability vision of net zero pledge 2030,"  said the managing director of Ambuja Cement, Neeraj Akhoury.

Ambuja has received approvals to conduct this sea trial from the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) and the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS), thus marking a new chapter in Indian coastal shipping.

In December 2020 Ambuja Cement along with ACC Ltd said in a joint statement that they will make investments worth over INR7.8bn (US$107m) at their plants to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The companies would be investing in green power generation that will help reduce the carbon footprint, the company’s statement said.