Cemex installs renewable energy at Alrewas site

Cemex has installed an innovative renewable energy project at its Alrewas ready-mixed concrete plant in Staffordshire, UK. The system, which uses a 90kWh battery along with solar panels, is expected to save 200t of CO₂.

According to Cemex, the new facility at Alrewas opened in 2023 without mains electricity, which means the site, until recently, has been exclusively powered by diesel generators. Keen to reduce CO₂ and the plant’s reliance on fossil fuels, once the renewable units were installed, the team at Cemex was able to reduce the plant’s night-time diesel generator usage by 68 per cent. 

“Cemex is embracing all forms of new innovations and ideas in the quest to lower our carbon footprint. As our operations transition towards net zero, we are all enjoying the experience of designing and utilising new technology, with batteries and other forms of renewable energy,” said Steven Coles, operational excellence manager, West Europe Materials, Cemex. “Cemex’s intensive training with the Renewables Institute has enabled us to skill up in this critical area. It is empowering in itself to have completed several renewable projects over the past year and to now have more exciting projects in the pipeline.”

As a result of the success at Alrewas, a second battery and solar unit installation is now planned at Cemex’s Hamer Warren quarry in the UK. The same renewable energy technology will be utilised at Hamer Warren to reduce diesel consumption during the plant’s on-site pumping activities.