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The UK Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance Lord Callanan visited the Cemex Rugby cement works in Warwickshire last Friday (January 12) to gain an insight into the actions needed to decarbonise the UK’s ‘dispersed’ cement plants.
The Mineral Products Association (MPA) and Cemex, hosted the visit to highlight the challenges and opportunities for decarbonising dispersed plants like Rugby, which are located too far from other large production plants to be included in one of the net zero industrial clusters.
Being part of an industrial cluster allows plant operators to work together, pool resources and pitch for the available Government funding to support decarbonisation. Yet only half of the UK’s 10 cement plants are currently within clusters and some, like Rugby, are too isolated from other industries to be part of a cluster. Decarbonisation at dispersed plants is just as vital as those within clusters if the UK is to meet its net zero ambitions.
Lord Callanan said: “We have a strong cement industry here in the UK which is vital to our infrastructure, housing and urban regeneration. The Government has recently published its blueprint for a carbon capture industry, to assist important sectors such as cement manufacturing to reach net zero while supporting our construction needs. It was excellent to hear from leaders here in Rugby, a cement heartland in its own right, about the impact of this work and I look forward to continuing this dialogue with UK cement producers.”
Lex Russell, MPA Chair and managing director of Cemex UK Materials said: “Net zero is achievable in our industry. It is fantastic to see the progress that is being made on the MPA UK concrete and cement industry’s roadmap to beyond net zero; however we need Government to support with policies that ensure ongoing investment is possible and operators are able to meet their targets to support a net zero economy.”
Cemex’s Rugby cement works has pioneered the use of alternative fuels, including a multimillion pound investment in 2022 to eliminate fossil fuel use in favour of waste derived alternatives, a key part of the firm’s efforts to decarbonize its operations and achieve net-zero CO2 cement and concrete by 2050.
