Raju Ramchandran, SVP Manufacturing (Cluster Head – Central), Nuvoco Vistas, sheds light on the company’s robust commitment to sustainable cement production, achieving low emissions through innovative energy solutions, alternative fuels and circular economy practices.

How does your company address the environmental impact of cement production, particularly in terms of reducing emissions?
As a cement manufacturing company, managing energy consumption and emissions is crucial to achieving sustainable operations. At Nuvoco, we have taken significant measures to address this material issue and use it as a competitive advantage for the company. We are consistently enhancing the integration of green power and alternative fuels within our operations. This ongoing commitment is pivotal to our strategy for reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, highlighting our dedication to sustainable practices.
Nuvoco maintains one of the lowest carbon footprints in the industry, with carbon emissions standing at just 457 kg of CO2 per tonne of cementitious materials. Our solar energy capacity has also grown significantly, increasing from 1.5 MW to 5.3 MW for FY 23-24.

What measures have been implemented to monitor and control emissions of CO2, NOx and particulate matter during the cement manufacturing process?
We consistently track air emissions from fuel combustion in our cement manufacturing and power generation operations. The burning of fossil fuels releases pollutants such as Oxides of Sulphur (SOx), Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx), and Particulate Matter (PM), which require stringent monitoring.
We ensure compliance with regulatory standards by using the Continuous Emission Monitoring System (CEMS) to monitor these emissions. For the FY 23-24, both our stack and fugitive emissions have stayed within the permissible limits set by Pollution Control Boards. Moreover, our ongoing monitoring of fugitive emissions ensures that we meet the prerequisite air quality standards.

Can you elaborate on the role of alternative fuels and raw materials in reducing the environmental footprint of cement production?
The use of alternative fuels and raw materials plays a critical role in reducing the environmental footprint of cement production. At Nuvoco, we are actively embracing this approach to promote sustainability and lower our dependence on traditional fossil fuels and virgin raw materials.
Our manufacturing processes enable the use of waste materials from industries like steel and thermal power generation as alternative fuels. Our mix of alternative fuels includes solid waste, liquid solvent, biomass, refuse derived fuels (RDF) from municipal solid waste, and other substances, with a focus on biomass. By incorporating alternative fuels we not only reduce carbon emissions but also contribute to waste management by diverting materials from landfills. Additionally, in line with our sustainability objectives, we plan to considerably expand our use of alternative fuels in the coming years.
During FY 23-24, the utilisation of Alternative Raw Materials (ARM) in our processes increased to 33.9 per cent in cement production, up from 27.7 per cent in the previous year. Incorporating materials such as chemical gypsum, fly ash and slag into our cement formulations significantly reduced our reliance on virgin raw materials and further promoted circularity in our operations.

How does your company approach waste management and recycling to minimise environmental harm?
The principles of a circular economy are integral to our sustainability initiatives. We engage in a variety of efforts to minimise waste generation, promote resource efficiency, and reduce our environmental footprint. We collaborate with other industries to incorporate their waste into our operations, using it as alternative raw materials. By introducing substitute materials into our cement production, such as blended cement with reduced clinker content, we are able to lower waste disposal volumes and significantly reduce carbon emissions.
In our Ready-Mix Concrete (RMX) plants, we actively integrate recycled aggregates from Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste into our manufacturing process. This practice not only boosts the sustainability of our concrete products but also prevents valuable materials from ending up in landfills, contributing to better resource efficiency.
A notable innovation is the ‘Nu Aqua Zero Debris Recycler System,’ which addresses the challenges of solid concrete waste and slurry disposal at RMX plants. This system significantly reduces debris generation and recycles wastewater for reuse, cutting down on freshwater consumption and solid waste. This initiative underscores Nuvoco’s dedication to promoting sustainability and fostering a circular economy in the building material industry.

What long-term goals has your company set in terms of reducing emissions, and what steps are being taken to achieve them?
Nuvoco has set a long-term vision for reducing emissions, anchored in its ‘Protect Our Planet’ agenda. This agenda aligns with the growing focus on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles, which have become increasingly important to stakeholders, including customers, employees, partners, investors, regulators and local communities. Sustainability is a core component of our business strategy, driving its commitment to responsible and environmentally conscious operations.
The company’s approach is structured around five key themes: Decarbonisation, Water Management, Circular Economy, Biodiversity and Waste Reduction. As part of its decarbonisation strategy, Nuvoco is committed to reducing carbon emissions by 2 per cent annually. This effort includes a focus on maximising the use of alternative fuels, harnessing waste heat for green energy generation, and incorporating innovative green products such as the ECODURE range.

What technological innovations or process optimisations has your company adopted to lower greenhouse gas emissions?
The company has dedicatedly installed a system that is capable of utilising agricultural waste, refuse derived fuel (RDF), plastic waste, municipal waste, biomass, tyre chips and other hazardous waste sources. We have introduced AFR feeding into the pyro process system for enabling uniform feeding and incorporating all necessary safety interlocks throughout. This system allows us to consume alternate fuels in an efficient and effective way without impacting the environmental standards prescribed and approved by the Pollution Control Board of India. Although this project is primarily focused on environmental sustainability, it also has several other benefits for clinker production and can offer significant cost savings through its alternative fuels program.
The company has also made significant modifications across its plants to improve energy efficiency, specifically targeting SHC (Specific Heat Consumption) and SPC (Specific Power Consumption) during clinker and cement production. Our waste heat recovery systems currently have a combined capacity of 44.7 MW, with plans for further optimisation to increase power generation.

– Kanika Mathur

Sudhir Pathak, Head – Central Design and Engg (CDE), QA, Green Hydrogen, Hero Future Energies, talks about empowering India’s hard-to-abate industries with innovative renewable energy technology.

How is Hero Future Energies contributing to reducing emissions in hard-to-abate sectors like cement manufacturing, and what role does renewable energy play in this effort?
Today, Hero Future Energies (HFE) is no longer simply a renewable energy (RE) provider but has transformed into an end-to-end Net Zero partner especially for construction and infrastructure clients in the hard-to-abate sectors. In addition to providing Scope 2 based solutions, such as behind the meter RE (rooftop and ground mount solar) and open access-based RE including developing RE-100 roadmaps we also support Scope 1 and 3 emission decarbonisation by providing complete turnkey solutions through the use of green hydrogen and its derivatives. For hard-to-abate sectors like cement, HFE is in advanced discussions with few leading players, regarding enabling decarbonisation of their heating applications such as pre-calciners, rotary kilns etc through green fuels. This supplements our Scope 2 solutions for the cement industry.

With HFE’s focus on clean technologies like green hydrogen and energy storage, how do you envision these innovations helping the cement industry reduce its carbon footprint?
The cement industry is one of the largest consumers of grid power (Scope 2) and also a guzzler of in-process fossil CO2 (Scope 1) including process-based CO2 through limekilns. In the case of Scope 2, decarbonisation can be achieved only up to 50 per cent to 60 per cent through plain hybrid solar and wind. However, for achieving balance 40 per cent, storage is essential, be it chemical or mechanical. Today, HFE is ready to provide such bespoke storage solutions as is evident through several complex RTC tenders that we have won in the last 6-8 months floated by agencies like SECI, NTPC and SJVN. These include tenders for FDRE projects, peak power, load following, etc. Further, regarding green hydrogen and its derivatives, we are ready to apply these for decarbonising industrial heating and mobility (Scope 1 and 3).

What are some of the biggest challenges you face when working with the cement sector to integrate renewable energy solutions and reduce emissions?
Deployment of renewable energy for mitigating Scope 2 emissions is relatively easy, except for RE behind the meter, looking at the high dust levels involved in cement production particularly in the crushers. Regarding Scope 1 decarbonisation, there are several challenges. Unlike in Europe, the majority of the Indian cement industry uses coal combustion in heating applications. This being a solid fuel, is suitable for horizontal rotary kilns and needs positive pressures for combustion processes, whereas, green hydrogen, being the lightest of molecules, are good and amenable, when working in vertical combustion shafts. Therefore, existing facilities may be used only partially, and for complete conversion, new installations will be needed. This will entail a significant amount of space inside the plants, which is currently scarce.

HFE has been involved in pioneering projects like hybrid power and energy storage. How do these technologies improve energy efficiency and lower emissions in industries like cement manufacturing?
Cement industry by its nature has a 24×7 duty cycle demand for electricity. Therefore, solar power by itself can’t be a perfect solution, the sector needs round-the-clock RE. While hybrid RE (a right mix of solar and wind), can help to an extent (better than only solar), we will still have to depend on storage to provide predictable supply of electricity, or what is termed as ‘Firm Dispatchable’ RE. In such cases, storage can be provided either through batteries like Li Ion, Sodium Ion, Metal Air or Pumped Hydro and Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) mechanisms.

How does HFE address the intermittency issues of renewable energy, ensuring a stable and reliable energy supply to cement plants while minimising emissions?
As explained above, this can be resolved through appending storage solutions. However this needs meticulous assessment of RE power every year, every month, every day, every hour and every time block (15 minutes). Further, one needs to carry out an arduous due diligence process for forecasting solar and wind patterns for 25 years. We, at HFE, have the expertise to do this to a great extent, thereby derisking ourselves and offtakers from such vagaries. Our success in winning eight complex FDRE tenders in the recent past testify to this.

Given that cement is one of the largest contributors to industrial emissions, what potential do you see for technologies like green hydrogen to decarbonise cement production in the coming decade?
We believe that emergence of green hydrogen presents a huge opportunity to decarbonise hard to abate sectors such as cement. Not only green hydrogen, but its derivatives like ammonia and methanol also hold huge potential to mitigate industrial carbon footprint. The cement industry sees huge volumes of CO2 being emitted as a result of limestone processing, which is a crucial process. These can be reused and converted to low carbon methanol. With the government promoting M15, M85, MD15 and M100, the same can be used for quick decarbonisation.

What are HFE’s long-term goals regarding environmental sustainability and emission reduction, and how does the company plan to scale these efforts to help heavy industries achieve their sustainability targets?
At HFE, we are committed to a sustainable and low-carbon future through provision of smart, affordable, clean energy and tech solutions. On the utility front, we are focused on complex, high CUF projects that aim to help overcome the intermittency barrier and pave the way for firm, dispatchable, round the clock green power. For our C&I clients, we offer a complete suite of solutions as their Net Zero partner, evolving from being just an RE provider.

If India is to achieve its Net Zero goal, then industrial decarbonisation must take centrestage and this is the space where we believe HFE can be a major player. We see ourselves as an end to end integrated Net Zero partner for businesses, particularly those in hard to abate sectors like cement, steel, chemicals and mobility, charting out a Net Zero roadmap for them and then guiding them to reach the target in a phased manner.

The cost of construction in India increased by 11% over the past year, primarily driven by a 25% rise in labour expenses, according to Colliers India. While prices of key materials like cement dropped by 15% and steel saw a marginal 1% decrease, the surge in labour costs stretched construction budgets across sectors.

“Labour, which constitutes over a quarter of construction costs, has seen significant inflation due to the demand for skilled workers and associated training and compliance costs,” said Badal Yagnik, CEO of Colliers India.

The residential segment experienced the sharpest cost escalation due to a growing focus on quality construction and demand for gated communities. Meanwhile, commercial and industrial real estate remained resilient, with 37 million square feet of office space and 22 million square feet of warehousing space completed in the first nine months of 2024.

“Despite rising costs, investments in automation and training are helping developers address manpower challenges and streamline project timelines,” said Vimal Nadar, senior director at Colliers India.

With labour costs continuing to influence overall construction expenses, developers are exploring strategies to optimize operations and mitigate rising costs.