Cemex has successfully introduced hydrogen technology as part of the fuel mix in its European cement plants. With an estimated US$40m investment programme, Cemex is also looking to extend the technology to the rest of its global operations, including Mexico, USA, South and Central America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia.
The hydrogen technology will emit zero CO2 from combustion and will reduce fossil fuel and increase energy efficiency. Trials began at the Alicante cement plant in Spain in July 2019 and the hydrogen technology was subsequently installed in all the company's cement plants in Europe in 2020. This year the technology will be rolled out to Cemex plants in other parts of the world.
"The fast adoption of this new hydrogen-based technology is a clear example of Cemex's innovation efforts and its strong commitment to decarbonise 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."
