The Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) launched by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency incentivises energy efficiency and consumption, resulting in economic benefits in the long term.
The Indian cement industry is involved in production of several types of cement such as Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC), Portland Blast Furnace Slag Cement (PBFS), Oil Well Cement, Rapid Hardening Portland Cement, Sulphate Resisting Portland Cement, White Cement, etc. The Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) launched by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency under the Ministry of Power, Government of India, offers an opportunity to the industry to improve its energy efficiency and reduce energy consumption resulting in long term economic benefits in terms of reduced fuel expenditure with trading.
The key goal of the PAT scheme under NMEEE, is to mandate specific energy efficiency improvements for the most energy intensive industries, and further incentivise them to achieve better energy efficiency improvements that are superior to their specified SEC improvement targets. To facilitate this, the scheme provides the option to industries that achieve superior savings to be rewarded with energy saving certificates for the excess savings, and to trade the additional certified energy savings certificates with other designated consumers who can utilise these certificates to comply with their reduction targets. The Energy Saving Certificates (ESCerts) thus issued will be tradable on special trading platforms to be created in the power exchanges.
The Bureau of Energy Efficiency focused on development of normalisation factors so as to normalise the variation of operating parameters in the target year with respect to baseline operating parameters.
Let us look at the baseline energy consumption parameters taken for consideration before the normalisation thresholds were ascertained: It would be worthwhile to see how the industry has progressed against this baseline scenario for Thermal Energy Consumption and Electrical Energy Consumption as identified by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency.
The CII Energy Efficiency Audit conducted over several cement manufacturing units in 2018, provides us with the state of energy efficiency improvements achieved by the Indian industry stalwarts. While the names of the best individual performers have been kept undisclosed, we can at least see the top performing assets and the corresponding efficiencies they have achieved. The CII Report Energy Benchmarking (2019) has given the following data of the top best performing Cement Kilns in terms of Energy Consumption (CII Tables 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 and 4.3 – page 30).
The data shows improvement in the energy efficiency, both in the electrical as well as in the thermal area. But this shows the top ten performers doing better than the benchmark values set in 2007- 10. However, we do not know what the average data for the industry is. CII has taken up many energy efficiency improvement projects for implementation with the industry and many of them have been implemented. The gap identified for Electrical efficiency is as follows:
Waste Heat Recovery (WHR) systems on the other hand has given major savings in energy and remains the major focus area for adoption to reduce the electrical energy and related emission. The economics of putting up a captive power generating unit versus putting up a WHR system shows unique advantages for cost reduction. The capital investment for waste heat recovery systems is high at Rs 8 Cr /MW going by the current costs, whereas the CPP units can come at Rs 4.5 cr/MW; however, the project IRR would be very different as the cost of generation would be as low as Rs 0.40 per unit for the former while Rs 4.5 per unit for the latter, which given the current trajectory of fossil fuel prices is already under severe stress of upward correction. It is only the initial cost that continues to act as a deterrent for putting up a WHR unit.
The Indian cement industry must act responsibly and move quickly to put in investments that could raise the WHR installed capacity to cross the minimum threshold of 25 per cent of electricity consumption. That will still be far from the 20 billion KWhr of total electricity consumption by the industry.
The other area of concern is the price trajectory of fossil fuels, which would continue to move northwards. The WHR systems are one simplest way of insulating the industry from the vagaries of future price increases.
Thus, waste heat recovery systems could be the natural hedge to fossil fuel price increases for a substantial portion of the electrical consumption. As matters stand, most WHR systems would be the highest IRR projects that the industry as an ensemble can think of today.
Dalmia Cement executed a Business Transfer Agreement with Jaiprakash Associates and Adani Infra, to acquire 5.2 MnTPA of cement capacity across Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
Dalmia Cement (Bharat) announced on May 22, 2026 that it had signed a Business Transfer Agreement with Jaiprakash Associates Limited and Adani Infra (India) Limited for the acquisition of cement plants located at Rewa in Madhya Pradesh and Churk, Chunar and Sadwa in Uttar Pradesh. The deal was struck at an enterprise value of ₹2,850 crore and is expected to close within two weeks of execution.
The acquired assets from Jaiprakash Associates include 5.2 MnTPA of cement capacity and 3.3 MnTPA of clinker capacity. The package also covers 99 MW of thermal power capacity and railway sidings at Rewa, Chunar, and a common siding at Churk. This infrastructure gives the acquisition immediate operational utility beyond just production tonnage.
The transaction has a long backstory. Dalmia Cement had originally entered into a framework agreement with Jaiprakash Associates in December 2022, covering the sale of these business assets along with a long-term clinker supply arrangement. However, before the deal could be completed, Jaiprakash Associates was admitted to insolvency proceedings under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. The earlier agreements could not be consummated as a result.
In an official statement, Puneet Dalmia, Managing Director & CEO, Dalmia Bharat, said, “I am very excited about addition of these assets in our portfolio. This serves as a great strategic fit for Dalmia. It helps us move forward in our journey to be a pan India player and provide a strong head start to serve the high potential markets in Central region. I am optimistic that the expansion potential of these assets along with close proximity with Dalmia’s captive mines will help us create a capacity hub for the future”.
Following the approval of Adani Group’s resolution plan for Jaiprakash Associates under the IBC framework, Dalmia approached the new management to revive discussions. The fresh Business Transfer Agreement was executed to settle all pending disputes, legal proceedings, and arbitration matters arising from the original framework agreement with Jaiprakash Associates.
Expanding market reach
Dalmia added, “Our familiarity with these assets under the earlier tolling arrangement gives us a deep understanding of the facilities and helps us establish strong connect with channel partners and vendors. We believe that this will help us in faster ramp up of capacities and quicker inroads into the market. As we look forward, I am very confident that we will be able to leverage the strengths of Dalmia to operate these assets in a manner where we can maximise value creation for all our stakeholders.”
With the addition of these plants, Dalmia Bharat’s total installed cement capacity will rise to 54.7 MnTPA upon consummation. The company has further expansion projects underway at Belgaum, Pune, and Kadapa, which are expected to take overall capacity to 66.7 MnTPA by Q2 to Q3 FY28.
The Central India location of the Jaiprakash Associates plants gives Dalmia Bharat faster access to markets in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh than a greenfield build would have allowed. The company also cited debottlenecking and brownfield expansion as near-term opportunities at the acquired sites. Dalmia Bharat said the assets were expected to contribute positively to EBITDA and overall returns, given the pricing environment in the region and the company’s cost structure.
The Cyberabad Traffic Police issued a traffic advisory as road works begin for the laying of a cement concrete (CC) road from Jaya Shankar Statue to RRR Restaurant at Parvathnagar in Madhapur limits. The advisory indicated that traffic diversions will be in place for 30 days from May 16 to ensure the smooth flow of vehicles and to minimise congestion on the affected stretch. The measure aims to balance uninterrupted construction activity with the movement needs of commuters.
Traffic moving from Toddy Compound towards Parvathnagar village will be diverted at Parvathnagar junction towards Sunnam Cheruvu and the 100 feet road. Local motorists and public transport operators have been advised to follow the diversionary route as directed by traffic personnel on duty. Alternate routes and signage have been planned to mitigate delays and to manage peak hour congestion.
Police officials said the diversion had been planned to facilitate uninterrupted road works while maintaining traffic movement in the area. Commuters were urged to plan their travel accordingly and to cooperate with traffic staff managing the stretch. Authorities indicated that enforcement of diversions would be active and that violations could attract penalties.
The 30 day schedule is intended to allow contractors to complete the laying and curing phases with minimal interruption to vehicular flow. Residents and businesses in adjacent localities have been advised to factor the diversion into deliveries and travel plans. The traffic police promised continuous monitoring of the works and the operational diversions and emphasised that temporary inconvenience was necessary for longer term improvement of the road network. Traffic personnel will be stationed at key junctions and additional signage and temporary markings will be displayed to guide motorists and pedestrians through the revised alignments while public transport services will follow the diversion where feasible and operators have been asked to adjust timetables to minimise disruption.
HeidelbergCement India (HeidelbergCement India) has received regulatory consent to establish a cement blending and grinding unit at Village Dongaliya, Tehsil Punasa, District Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh. The consent was granted by the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board under the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and the Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and is dated 17 May 2026. The company disclosed the development in a filing made under Regulation 30 of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015.
The project plan envisages procurement of long term availability of fly ash and the allotment of land on lease for setting up the unit. The proposed facility is described as a blending and grinding installation which will process cementitious materials sourced from nearby operations and suppliers. Company filings state the measures required to secure raw material logistics and statutory compliance before commencing construction.
The addition of a grinding unit in Khandwa is intended to strengthen regional supply and improve logistical efficiency by reducing haulage distances for finished product. The unit is expected to complement existing capacities in central India and to offer flexibility in product mix through blending operations. The reliance on fly ash as a supplementary cementitious material will necessitate long term supply agreements with thermal power producers and coordination with waste utilisation policies.
The disclosure to the regulator and to the stock exchanges follows standard corporate governance practice and aims to keep investors apprised of capital expenditure initiatives. The company indicated that subsequent permits and clearances would be sought in accordance with applicable environmental and land use rules. The project is presented as part of HeidelbergCement India’s broader strategy to optimise capacity distribution and to respond to regional demand dynamics.