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Safety is a top priority when handling alternative fuels

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Indrendra Singh Raghuwanshi, Sales Head – Cement Division, ATS Conveyors talks about how advanced bulk material handling solutions enables cement plants to optimise alternative fuel integration, enhance efficiency and drive sustainability.

As the cement industry transitions toward sustainability, efficient handling of alternative fuels has become a critical focus. In this interview, ATS experts share insights into their cutting-edge technologies, safety measures, and future-focused developments that are transforming bulk material handling in the cement sector.

Can you summarise ATS Group’s expertise in bulk material handling for the cement industry?
ATS Group is a recognised leader in bulk material handling solutions for the cement industry, offering a comprehensive range of services and equipment designed to optimise the efficiency and safety of cement production. Our expertise lies in providing innovative, reliable, and cost-effective systems for storage, dosing, conveying and feeding a wide range of AFR materials. Providing support at every stage, from engineering and design to installation, commissioning, and ongoing maintenance. With decades of experience in the cement industry, ATS Group’s innovative material handling technologies enable cement manufacturers to achieve smoother operations, higher Thermal Substitution Ratio (TSR) and long-term operational success.

How does your WMH department help cement plants adopt alternative fuels effectively?
The Walter Material Handling Division of ATS Group plays a crucial role in helping cement plants adopt alternative fuels by providing tailored solutions that ensure the safe, efficient, and cost-effective handling of these materials. As the industry moves towards sustainability, alternative fuels such as Municipal solid waste (MSW), Biomass and Refuse-derived fuel (RDF) are used more commonly in cement production processes. Our expertise enables cement plants to incorporate these fuels with minimal disruption and maximum benefits by the Customised Fuel Handling Systems, AFR storage handling solutions, safety and environmental, expert consultation and support provided by ATS team.

What innovations set your bulk material handling solutions apart in addressing challenges like precision dosing and storage?
Our bulk material handling solutions stand out due to several innovations that address key challenges such as precision dosing and storage. These innovations are designed to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and flexibility, ensuring optimal performance even in complex and demanding environments like cement production. Precise dosing is done using equipment like Weigh Belt Feeder and TWIN Doseahorse whereas storage challenges are easily addressed by the fully automated Grab Crane of ATS.

How do you ensure your systems handle diverse alternative fuels reliably?
Ensuring that our systems handle diverse alternative fuels reliably is at the core of our engineering approach. Alternative fuels, such as biomass, MSW, RDF and industrial waste vary significantly in terms of composition, size, moisture content, and combustibility. All our systems are designed with flexibility and robustness to meet the unique challenges posed by these heterogeneous fuels while maintaining operational efficiency and safety. Also, before deployment to site, we conduct extensive testing for our equipment to ensure that they can reliably handle alternative fuels under a variety of conditions. This includes testing different fuel types, moisture levels, and feeding rates to identify any potential challenges. Our systems are then fine-tuned during the commissioning phase to ensure optimal performance in real-world conditions.

What safety measures are in place for secure alternative fuel handling and kiln feeding?
Safety is a top priority when handling alternative fuels, especially given the potential hazards such as dust generation, flammability and variations in material properties. Our systems are designed with comprehensive safety measures to ensure the secure handling of alternative fuels throughout the entire process, from storage and transport to kiln feeding. The key safety measures foreseen in ATS machines include provision for ATEX components, Temperature sensors, sprinklers and using high temperature material of construction as and where required. Also, ATS supplied machines are integrated with the central control room of cement plants for centralised monitoring, control and diagnosis on real time basis.

How does ATS Group’s material handling support sustainability goals in the cement sector?
The cement industry is energy-intensive and traditionally relies on fossil fuels, but ATS Group’s material handling systems are designed to help cement plants transition to more sustainable practices while maintaining operational efficiency. ATS systems plays a key role in supporting sustainability goals within the cement sector through innovative solutions that optimise alternative fuels handling and integration to maximise energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and promote environmental responsibility by waste reduction to contribute for the circular economy.

What future trends in bulk material handling is ATS Group focusing on for the cement industry and have you designed any new innovative product to meet the futuristic demands?
ATS Group, through its Walter Material Handling division, is focused on several key trends in AFR material handling for the cement industry to stay ahead of evolving industry demands, technological advances, and sustainability goals. As cement plants increasingly shift towards more sustainable practices, the efficient handling of AFR materials is becoming more important. By focusing on these trends, ATS Group is actively developing solutions that not only support cement industry’s shift toward sustainable practices but also enhance operational efficiency and reduce environmental impact these solutions include Walt’Air (Air Floating Belt Conveyor). This machine is engineered to address some unique challenges like, accommodating a new conveying system using minimal space utilisation and with minimum changes in the existing plant infrastructure, ensuring safe and spillage-free transportation of AFR for long distances with reduced power consumption as well as low CAPEX and OPEX. Additionally, ATS has developed TWIN Doseahorse which was awarded with the prestigious Product of the year Award in 14th Cement EXPO 2023. This is a specialised solution having common inlet and dual outlet for consistent and accurate division of AFR material to feed in, two different feeding points for individual Kiln or for dual kiln feed, enhancing both economic and environmental performance in cement plants.

Concrete

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

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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.

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Concrete

Shiva Cement Merges with JSW Cement

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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.

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Concrete

Nuvoco Vistas, CleanMax Partner for Wind-Solar Hybrid Project in Rajasthan

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The project – comprising 20 MW of wind and 26.4 MWdc of solar capacity – will support Nuvoco’s cement operations with cleaner power while strengthening its renewable energy and decarbonisation strategy.

Mumbai, September 29, 2026

Nuvoco Vistas Corp Ltd, part of Nirma Group and one of India’s leading cement companies, has partnered with Clean Max Enviro Energy Solutions Limited (CleanMax), a renewable energy solutions provider for the commercial and industrial (C&I) sector, to develop a 46.4 MW wind-solar hybrid renewable energy project in Rajasthan.

The project will support Nuvoco’s cement operations with cleaner power while strengthening its renewable energy and decarbonisation strategy. It is expected to increase the share of renewable energy in Nuvoco’s power mix, reducing fossil fuel consumption and associated emissions.

Developed by CleanMax, an Independent Power Producer (IPP), at Bhikamkhore, Rajasthan, the project will comprise 20 MW of wind capacity and 26.4 MWdc of solar capacity, along with a 2-MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). Power generated from the facility will be supplied to Nuvoco through the State Transmission Utility (STU) Open Access network.

The hybrid project is expected to generate approximately 100 million units (MU) of renewable electricity annually and help avoid around 1,25,485 tonnes of CO₂ emissions every year across Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions.

The initiative supports Nuvoco’s ongoing efforts to reduce the carbon intensity of its manufacturing operations through renewable energy adoption, Waste Heat Recovery Systems (WHRS), energy-efficiency measures and increased use of alternative fuels. It also aligns with the company’s DIRE (Digitalisation, Innovation and Renewables) agenda, which focuses on climate action, renewable energy transition, water stewardship, circularity and biodiversity conservation across its manufacturing ecosystem.

Commenting on the initiative, Jayakumar Krishnaswamy, Managing Director, Nuvoco Vistas Corp Ltd, said, “This marks an important step in advancing Nuvoco’s journey towards more sustainable and resilient operations. Our collaboration with CleanMax will increase the share of renewable energy across our Rajasthan operations, strengthening our energy mix while improving long-term cost efficiency and reducing our dependence on conventional power sources. Initiatives such as these reinforce our commitment to operational excellence and responsible growth, while supporting our vision of Building a Safer, Smarter and Sustainable World.”

Kuldeep Jain, Founder and Managing Director, CleanMax, said, “Cement plants run continuously, so the power behind them has to be dependable for decades, not years. We’re seeing manufacturing industries view clean energy as an integral part of their core operations and long-term strategy. Our partnership with Nuvoco reflects that shift, and we’re pleased to support its decarbonisation journey. This wind-solar hybrid project is designed to deliver long-term cost certainty while supporting the Company’s transition to cleaner power.”

Nuvoco has been advancing its sustainability initiatives through renewable energy, operational efficiency and technology-driven solutions. The company operates across Cement, Ready-Mix Concrete (RMX) and Modern Building Materials (MBM) segments, with a presence across East, North and West India.

The company began operations in 2014 with a greenfield cement plant in Nimbol, Rajasthan, and later acquired Lafarge India Limited, which entered India in 1999, along with Emami Cement Ltd in 2020 and Vadraj Cement Limited in April 2025. With planned expansion initiatives, including a new grinding mill at the Arasmeta Cement Plant and multiple debottlenecking projects, Nuvoco aims to achieve a cement capacity of 35 MMTPA.

The company reported total income of Rs 113.62 billion in FY 2025-26, reflecting its continued growth trajectory. Its cement portfolio includes Concreto, Duraguard, Double Bull, PSC, Nirmax and Infracem brands, while its RMX business offers products under Concreto, Artiste, InstaMix, X-Con and Ecodure brands. Nuvoco also provides construction solutions under its Zero M range of modern building materials.

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