Concrete

Ultratech sources VRM from Gebr. Pfeiffer

Published

2 years ago

April 27, 2024

admin

Ultratech Cement will once again use the state-of-the-art vertical roller mill technology from Gebr. Pfeiffer, to build three new clinker production lines.

As Ultratech Cement gears up for its three new clinker production lines, a corresponding follow-up order was awarded to Gebr. Pfeiffer SE, Germany, and its Indian subsidiary Gebr. Pfeiffer (India).

As the largest cement plant operator in India and one of the top ten in the world, Ultratech Cement from Mumbai, India, is contributing to shaping the future of the cement industry. At their Happy 3 plant, the cement raw material will be ground in an MVR 5000 R-4 mill. With a 5,300-kW drive, this mill can grind approx. 705 tph to a product fineness of 1.5 per cent R 212 µm. The integrated SLS 5300 VR high-efficiency classifier, with optimised flow and electrical efficiency, separates the product to achieve the target fineness.

For the grinding of approx. 45 t/h of pet coke or approx. 90 t/h of coal, three vertical roller mills of the type MPS 3550 BK will be supplied. These are equipped with a 1,300-kW gearbox, as standard. By using Pfeiffer MPS mills, Ultratech is able to process both pet coke and coal, as well as any mixture of these two materials, at the same speed of the grinding bowl, thus avoiding three expensive frequency converters. The new coal mills will be equipped with an integrated high-efficiency classifier type SLS 3750 BK of the latest design.

It is important for UltraTech’s stock of spare parts that the latest MVR mills are characterised by grinding rollers based on the R=C principle, as this brings significant advantages for the customer. It means that these mills are equipped with grinding rollers that, equipped with the corresponding grinding elements, can be used, along with the appropriate power modules, for raw meal grinding as well as for cement grinding.

As the components of rollers, grinding roller suspension system, roller arms in cement and raw mills are identical with the ones which the customer has already received from Gebr. Pfeiffer, he requires a smaller number of spare parts in stock. This is because the components mentioned can be used for all his cement and raw mills.

The MVR 5000 R-4 mill for the Happy 3 plant has four actively redundant grinding rollers and can also be operated with two grinding rollers in the event of planned or unplanned maintenance work. This mill can then still produce approximately 70 per cent of the nominal capacity, so that the cement rotary kiln can continue to be fed with raw material.

The MVR mills are equipped by Gebr. Pfeiffer with the modern systems for preventive, maintenance-oriented condition monitoring. This will enable the customer to implement modern, digital maintenance concepts. The MPS mills will be prepared to include such options at a later point in time.

Order execution will be jointly by the subsidiary Gebr. Pfeiffer (India) and Gebr. Pfeiffer SE (Germany). The entire customer support and plant engineering will be carried out by competent Pfeiffer engineers in Noida.

The core components, such as gearbox, grinding bowl, grinding roller suspension system and the grinding rollers, are supplied from Europe by Gebr. Pfeiffer SE. The remaining components, such as the foundation parts, the housings, the classifiers and most of the plant components will be provided by Gebr. Pfeiffer (India).

The Customer Support Centre in Noida, being close to the customer, will later also provide support for the plants. This can be done in real terms by sending personnel to the plants or via remote data access.

For this purpose, Gebr. Pfeiffer offers hardware and software solutions, which are supported by competent technical personnel during normal office hours, if possible, in the local language. The picture shows an MVR mill of similar size (Type MVR 5000 R-4).

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Concrete

UltraTech becomes first Indian cement firm to cross 2 GW green energy

Published

29 minutes ago

October 7, 2026

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UltraTech Cement has crossed 2 GW of captive green energy capacity, with renewables and waste heat recovery meeting 48 per cent of its power needs.

Mumbai

UltraTech Cement Limited has surpassed 2 GW of installed green energy capacity for captive use, becoming the first cement company in India to achieve the milestone. The Aditya Birla Group company commissioned 116.55 MW of wind capacity at its Inter-State Transmission System-connected wind-solar hybrid project in Barmer, Rajasthan, along with 10 MW of Waste Heat Recovery System capacity at Sarlanagar Cement Works in Karnataka.

With these additions, UltraTech’s cumulative installed green energy capacity has reached 2,024 MW. This includes 1,580 MW of renewable energy capacity and 444 MW of waste heat recovery capacity, together meeting around 48 per cent of the company’s current power requirements.

The company said the milestone reflects the progress of its long-term energy transition strategy. In FY27 so far, nearly one-third of UltraTech’s 76 manufacturing units in India have maintained green energy utilisation above 50 per cent of their electricity requirements, while five units have crossed 95 per cent.

K C Jhanwar, Managing Director, UltraTech Cement Limited, said, “Crossing the 2 GW green energy milestone is the result of a strategy we have pursued consistently over the past decade. Cement is an energy-intensive, hard-to-abate sector, and showing that reliability and growth can go hand in hand with a rapid shift to green energy sets a benchmark for the industry. With nearly half of our power needs now met through green energy, we are significantly less exposed to fossil fuel supply constraints and power price volatility. As we scale up renewables, waste heat recovery and battery storage across our operations, we are building an energy foundation for stable, long-term growth.”

UltraTech commissioned 430 MW of green energy capacity in FY26 and continues to expand its renewable energy and waste heat recovery portfolio.

The company is also progressively integrating Battery Energy Storage Systems across its operations to improve renewable energy utilisation and supply reliability.

In 2025, UltraTech operationalised what it described as India’s first on-site hybrid round-the-clock renewable energy project at Sewagram Cement Works in Gujarat. The project combines solar, wind and battery storage.

As part of its decarbonisation strategy, UltraTech said it has not invested in new captive thermal power capacity for either greenfield projects or brownfield expansions at its integrated units for more than a decade.

The company said its expanding green energy portfolio is helping reduce dependence on conventional grid electricity and fossil fuel-based power, while lowering exposure to fluctuations in coal and electricity prices.

UltraTech aims to increase green energy’s share in its total power mix to 85 per cent by 2030. As a member of RE100, it has also committed to meeting 100 per cent of its electricity requirement through renewable sources by 2050.

UltraTech Cement, the cement flagship of the Aditya Birla Group, has a total grey cement capacity of 210.1 MTPA and white cement and putty capacity of 3.5 MTPA. The company is also a signatory to the GCCA Climate Ambition 2050 and has committed to the GCCA Net Zero Concrete roadmap.

Concrete

Shiva Cement Merges with JSW Cement

Published

3 hours ago

October 7, 2026

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JSW Cement has announced a scheme of arrangement to merge its listed subsidiary Shiva Cement with itself, creating a single unified cement platform. The boards of both companies have approved the proposal, which will require clearances from stock exchanges, the Securities and Exchange Board of India, the National Company Law Tribunal, Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation and other applicable authorities.

The transaction is expected to be completed within 12 to 14 months, subject to the necessary approvals from regulators, shareholders and creditors. Under the scheme, JSW Cement will issue 5 equity shares with a face value of Rs. 10 each for every 41 equity shares with a face value of Rs. 2 each held by Shiva Cement shareholders other than JSW Cement.

The company said the merger would consolidate financial, managerial, technical, distribution and marketing resources while reducing administrative duplication and compliance requirements. It would also provide greater funding flexibility, potentially lower financing costs and eliminate inter-company guarantees.

The consolidation is expected to strengthen backward integration by enabling JSW Cement to use Shiva Cement’s clinker manufacturing facility. This would reduce dependence on external clinker procurement and improve supply-chain efficiency. Public shareholders of Shiva Cement would receive direct ownership in JSW Cement, which has a broader institutional investor base and a more liquid listed presence.

JSW Cement acquired a controlling stake in Shiva Cement through transactions that began in January 2017. Shiva Cement operates a clinker facility in Odisha, near the borders of Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, and commissioned a 1 mtpa cement grinding unit at Sambalpur in FY26 through a commercial arrangement with Bhushan Power and Steel.

JSW Cement has 24.10 mtpa of cement grinding capacity and 9.74 mtpa of clinkerisation capacity. Its Indian operations comprise nine plants, including two integrated units, one clinker unit and six grinding units. The proposed merger is intended to simplify the corporate structure and align the financial statements of the two companies.

Concrete

UltraTech’s Kukurdih unit runs fully on green energy

The Chhattisgarh plant has met 100 per cent of its electricity needs through green energy since April 2026.

Published

6 days ago

October 1, 2026

admin

UltraTech Cement’s Kukurdih Cement Works in Chhattisgarh has met 100 per cent of its electricity requirement through green energy every month since April 2026. Commissioned in 2024, the integrated cement manufacturing unit has an installed grey cement capacity of 3.3 million tonnes per annum.

The plant meets its electricity requirement through a combination of renewable power sourcing and Waste Heat Recovery Systems (WHRS). UltraTech said the combination enables the unit to meet its power needs through green energy while maintaining operational reliability.

Since April 2026, nearly a third of UltraTech’s 76 manufacturing units in India have maintained green energy utilisation above 50 per cent of their electricity requirement. Five units, including Kukurdih, have exceeded 95 per cent green energy utilisation.

The company is also progressively deploying Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) across its manufacturing network to support greater integration of renewable energy. UltraTech said it has not invested in new captive thermal power capacity at its integrated units, including greenfield projects and brownfield expansions, for more than 10 years.

As of Q1FY27, UltraTech’s captive green energy capacity stood at 1,897 MW, comprising 1,463 MW of renewable capacity from solar, wind and hybrid sources, and 434 MW of WHRS capacity.

Under its RE100 commitment, the company aims to increase the share of green power in its total power mix to 85 per cent by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2050.