MENA Cement industry can halve emissions with Zero CAPEX

MENA Cement industry can halve emissions with Zero CAPEX

London: The World Cement Association (WCA) has held its first CEO-exclusive, pre-conference webinar, in which participants concluded that cement producers in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) can halve carbon emissions with zero or low capital expenditure.

The webinar brought together thirty CEOs representing cement-producing companies from Iraq, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey among others, ahead of WCA’s annual conference which will be held in Dubai, on the theme of “Navigating the Climate Challenge: Reducing Carbon and Reducing Costs”, with a particular focus on the MENA Region.

Key outcomes from the CEO forum were as follows:

- Cement producers MENA region can almost halve carbon emissions from cement with zero or very low CAPEX

- There is a short window to be proactive and shape the industry roadmap rather than wait for government regulations to be imposed

- MENA region’s main challenge is due to limestone quality in some countries and limited availability of supplementary cementitious material

- New, innovative technologies can help overcome some limitations

- High energy prices have encouraged a greater focus on energy efficiency. Projects such as waste heat reduction now have highly attractive returns

The MENA region is responsible for approximately 7% of total global CO2 emissions, and currently produces around