TNO report evaluates energy requirements of EU cement sector in 2050

TNO has produced a study for CEMBUREAU that investigates the energy requirements in the European cement industry by 2050. In the coming years, the energy needs of the EU cement industry will evolve significantly, both due to the higher efficiency of cement kilns and to the deployment of decarbonisation technologies, which will require an increased use of electricity.

TNO's report assesses three scenarios to achieve the sector’s carbon neutrality ambitions through carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS): high CCS, half CCS/CCU, and high CCU. 

The results across all three scenarios indicate a significant increase in energy consumption due to the introduction of CCS and CCU technologies. This increase is despite the expected decrease in energy intensity of cement production by 2050.
• Based on the CEMBUREAU Roadmap, the study indeed finds a potential reduction in the overall thermal energy demand by 29 per cent and electricity demand by 27 per cent by 2050, largely driven by reductions in the clinker-to-cement ratio and full renewable energy sourcing.
• However, the deployment of carbon capture technologies will imply a significantly increased energy use, ranging between 68 and 119 per cent by 2050.
• The energy demand will largely depend on the type of carbon capture technology that is used. In the 50 per cent CCS/CCU case, by 2050, the total specific energy demand was 119 per cent higher than the baseline for 2020, with methanol production via CCU accounting for 93 per cent of the additional energy. Similar trends were seen in the 70 per cent CCS/30 per cent CCU and 30 per cent CCS/70 per cent CCU cases, with total specific energy demand increasing by 68 and 170 per cent, respectively compared to the 2020 baseline.