- Cemex aims for financial support for carbon-neutral cement manufacturing
Cemex, the cement production company, is aiming to make its Rudersdorf plant carbon-neutral by 2030 and is hoping for approximately 500 million euros in government funding to help achieve this goal. As CEO Rudiger Kuhn mentioned in Potsdam, the transition to carbon neutrality will require an investment of over a billion euros, with half of that ideally coming from state funding.
The Brandenburg state government is planning to aid Cemex in its pursuit of climate neutrality at its Rudersdorf plant, which is located in the Märkisch-Oderland district, approximately 30 kilometers away from Berlin. Minister President Dietmar Woidke (SPD) has established a task force within the state government to streamline the process through consultations. The second meeting is set for either late November or early December, according to Woidke.
Cement demand is projected to rise significantly
The CEO of the government stated that the business prospects for the cement manufacturer are promising, but the projects necessitate extensive changes to production processes and have a lengthy planning and approval phase before implementation.
CEO Kuhn commented, "We've got some massive construction projects ahead of us." He cited housing initiatives and rail and highway projects, even mentioning that a wind turbine's foundation requires up to 1,000 cubic meters of concrete. However, the company is reliant on funding to transition to carbon-neutral production processes.
CO2 capture and storage planned
Besides reducing emissions generated during cement production, Kuhn explained that it's also crucial to minimize unavoidable emissions by capturing, utilizing, and storing them. Cemex is making significant strides in industrial-scale CO2 capture, according to Kuhn.
As per the federal government's plans, future underground CO2 storage in Germany may be feasible, with the North Sea being the primary location for this initiative. The federal government considers the use of this technology essential to achieve climate objectives. Brandenburg has commissioned a study on this matter, which is expected to be completed in November, as per Economics Minister Steinbach.
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The climate change initiatives at Cemex's Rudersdorf plant are of significant interest to the Brandenburg state government, as reducing emissions from cement production aligns with their broader environmental goals.
To successfully transition Cemex to carbon-neutral production, the company is heavily reliant on securing substantial funding, as the cost of making these changes is projected to be immense due to the need for extensive modifications in production processes and lengthy planning and approval phases.
