Concrete

CemHack for Green Infra Hackathon

Published

1 year ago

June 17, 2025

admin

Organised by the National Council for Cement and Building Materials-Incubation Centre (NCB-IC), the CemHack for Green Infra hackathon was a first-of-its-kind event for the cement and construction sector.

A national-level hackathon called the ‘CemHack for Green Infra’ was launched to encourage innovation and ideation in the construction and cement industries. This unique initiative was inaugurated by Sanjiv, Joint Secretary, DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, in presence of Professor KK Pant, Director, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee; Neeraj Akhoury, Chairman-NCB & MD-Shree Cement; and Dr LP Singh, Director General-National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCB). The event took place on 20th May 2025 at NCB Ballabgarh, and was attended by research scholars, students, industry experts and NCB scientists and engineers.
Sanjiv, JS-DPIIT, complimented NCB Incubation Centre in organising the hackathon for cement and construction sector on the first anniversary of its establishment. He desired that the reputed institutes and colleges like IITs, NITs, technical universities and regional institutes, should be encouraged for maximum participation in this hackathon. He hoped to see success stories from startups incubated at NCB.
Professor Pant supported NCB’s effort in organising this hackathon as it brought a unique opportunity for students, research scholars and researchers. The participants got the opportunity to showcase their innovative ideas and get support from the industry. He informed that IIT Roorkee is collaborating with NCB on plasma-based electrification and carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) in the cement sector.
In his speech, Akhoury emphasised that the Indian cement industry is at the forefront of adopting newer technologies and innovation. In the light of the MoU between Shree Cement signed MoU and StartUp India, which was signed last year, the company will continue to extend its support to NCB in organising this event and supporting the winners of the hackathon.
While speaking at the event Dr Singh stated that the purpose of organising hackathon to promote innovation in cement and construction sector. He also highlighted the endeavours of NCB towards Net Zero in cement industry including award of project grant to a consortium of NCB-IIT Roorkee-J K Cement, by Department of Science & Technology, Government of India on establishing CCU test beds in cement sector. He also showcased the outline to establish Centre of Excellence at NCB Ballabgarh on CCU in cement sector.
Dr SK Chaturvedi, Joint Director and Secretary-NCB, proposed vote of thanks on the occasion. He thanked DPIIT, Shree Cement, JSW Cement and J K Cement for supporting the hackathon.
The hackathon aims at fostering innovation and building an entrepreneurial ecosystem in the cement, construction, building materials and allied sectors in India. NCB Incubation Centre serves as an umbrella platform providing comprehensive support from start to scale for entrepreneurship and start-ups. It facilitates the commercialisation of ground-level research by promoting innovation and product development.
Dr Kapil Kukreja, GM & Incharge-NCB Incubation Centre briefed about the hackathon ‘CemHack for Green Infra’ and informed that this has been organised to foster innovation and develop sustainable, technology-driven solutions in the cement ecosystem. There will be two tracks in this hackathon: First track for startups, professionals and individuals and second track for students, researchers and academia. Participating teams will address real-world challenges faced by the cement sector. There will be no participation fee.

There are six themes of hackathon as follows:
1. Green Cement (alternative raw materials, higher use and new types of supplementary cementitious materials, new binders, AI/ML application etc.)
2. Green Process (H2, solar thermal, micro grids, waste heat recovery, alternative fuels, AI/ML application etc.)
3. Green Concrete (sustainable and novel materials and special concrete application)
4. Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage in Cement Industry
5. Logistics and Supply Chain Management in Cement and Construction Industry
6. Achieving Net Zero and Sustainable Development Goals in Cement and Construction Industry

Rewards and benefits for the winners:

Track-1: Startup/professionals/individuals
First Place Winner: Rs.1,00,000
Second Place Winner: Rs.50,000/-
Third Place Winner: Rs.30,000/-

(With incubation opportunity at NCB-IC)

Track-2: Students/Research Scholars/Academia

First Place Winner: Rs.75,000/-
Second Place Winner: Rs.35,000/-
Third Place Winner: Rs.15,000/-

(With certificates and mentoring opportunity at NCB)

NCB is an apex research and development organisation under the administrative control of Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. NCB is dedicated to research, technology development and transfer, education and industrial services for cement, allied building materials and construction industries. NCB’s areas of work span over the entire spectrum of cement manufacturing and usage-starting with geological exploration of raw materials through the processes, the machinery, the manufacturing aspects, energy and environmental considerations to the final utilisation of materials in actual construction, condition monitoring and rehabilitation of buildings and structures.

Up Next

Building Durable Roads

Don't Miss

Powering Performance

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

3 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.

Concrete

Cement Prices Rise Rs. 7 per Bag in September; October Hikes Expected

Cement prices rose in September as companies weighed further increases.

Published

3 days ago

October 1, 2026

admin

Cement companies may seek to raise prices by Rs. 5 to Rs. 20 per bag across most markets in October, although the ability to sustain the increases will depend on demand recovery and dealer acceptance, according to a report by Centrum Broking. The outlook follows a pickup in pricing momentum during September after largely stable prices in July and August.

The all-India average trade price increased by Rs. 7 per bag month-on-month to Rs. 356 in September. Centrum Broking’s channel checks indicated gains across both trade and non-trade segments, with non-trade prices recording sharper increases in most markets. However, higher company billing rates were not fully passed on to customers in several regions because dealers continued selling at earlier prices to meet quarter-end volume targets.

The brokerage said demand weakness in Q2FY27 was less pronounced than the usual seasonal trend, with construction activity improving in several markets towards the end of the quarter. Demand remained range-bound across several markets in July and August, while September produced mixed regional trends. Higher rainfall affected activity in some areas, whereas lower rainfall supported construction work elsewhere.

South India recorded the largest price increase in September, at Rs. 11 per bag, followed by West India at Rs. 9. Central, East and North India each reported increases of Rs. 5 per bag. Despite the September recovery, the average all-India trade price for Q2FY27 stood at Rs. 351 per bag, down Rs. 1 sequentially, as weaker pricing in July and August offset the later gains.

Centrum Broking said the success of any October increases would depend on the pace of demand recovery and dealers’ willingness to accept higher prices. Fuel prices have also risen sharply in recent weeks, making the implementation and sustainability of price increases a key factor for the cement industry’s pricing outlook.

Concrete

Andhra Pradesh Clears Rs. 30 bn My Home Cement Plant

Project receives incentives of up to Rs. 11.29 bn from state

Published

4 days ago

September 30, 2026

admin

The Andhra Pradesh government has approved a greenfield cement project worth Rs. 30 bn by My Home Industries, along with incentives of up to Rs. 11.29 bn. The decision comes amid a political controversy in Telangana involving allegations about landholdings associated with My Home Group.

According to an Industries and Commerce Department order issued on September 25, 2026, the project is expected to create 2,000 jobs and begin commercial production by March 2029. The proposed facility will have capacity to produce 3.5 MTPA of clinker and 3.5 MTPA of cement.

The total investment includes fixed capital investment of Rs. 25.97 bn, pre-operative expenses of Rs. 2.23 bn, contingencies of Rs. 1.26 bn and working capital margin of Rs. 540 mn. The incentive package is capped at Rs. 11.29 bn, equivalent to up to 43.48 per cent of fixed capital investment, subject to completion of the committed investment by March 2029.

The package includes a capital subsidy of 39 per cent of eligible fixed capital investment, capped at Rs. 9.43 bn, payable over 10 years from the start of commercial production. It also provides reimbursement of Rs. 1 per unit on electricity purchased from distribution companies for 10 years, subject to a ceiling of Rs. 1.86 bn. A further incentive equivalent to 2 per cent of fixed capital investment is linked to the creation of the committed jobs and other policy conditions.

The state has approved the allotment of 27.19 acres through the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation at actual cost. The project also involves land linked to two temples and the realignment of a canal across approximately 9.93 acres, with conditions requiring alternative temple facilities and company-funded infrastructure work. Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has separately raised allegations concerning land associated with My Home Group, including 2,463 acres near Shamshabad. The allegations remain subject to verification through official records and any investigations.