Concrete

CCUS capacity needs to be ramped up 190-fold

Published

4 years ago

April 1, 2022

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Carbon capture is the imperative action that the cement industry needs to take in order to honour its pledge for a net zero future. Aniruddha Sharma, CEO, Carbon Clean, speaks about carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) entails across the globe and its role in the green evolution of the cement industry.

Carbon Clean, headquartered in London, provides all the services needed by companies to achieve net zero carbon footprint, including technology licence and end-to-end systems. Their solutions help industries capture over 90 per cent of CO2 emissions, and be a part of the global circular carbon economy. Its CCUS applications are designed for verticals such as cement, steel, refinery, bio gas and energy from waste. In this interaction, Aniruddha Sharma, CEO, Carbon Clean, speaks to ICR about the importance of CCUS.

What are the current estimates for CCUS worldwide?
To achieve net zero emissions by 2050, CCUS capacity needs to be ramped up 190-fold and urgent steps are needed to ensure CCUS is available to contribute to net zero goals, according to the International Energy Agency.
This presents a challenge but also an opportunity. Demand for CCUS solutions is unprecedented, especially from the hard-to-abate industries such as oil and gas, cement, steel and chemicals. These sectors expect over 20 per cent of their total emissions to be captured via carbon capture technology by 2030. Our latest CCUS solution, CycloneCC, will play an important role in servicing this demand, with independent third-party research suggesting that the technology’s market opportunity is set to expand by 60 per cent per year this decade.

What role does Carbon Clean play in helping cement companies with carbon capture?
Carbon Clean is a global leader in cost-effective industrial carbon capture technologies and services. We are working with several cement companies to capture the carbon dioxide from their emissions.
For example, we are partnering with CEMEX on a ground-breaking carbon capture project at its Rüdersdorf plant in Germany. The initial aim is to capture 100 tonnes of CO2 per day at the plant, combining it with hydrogen from renewable sources to produce greener synthetic hydrocarbons that can be used in other industries. We are also currently commissioning a 10 tonnes per day carbon capture plant with Taiheiyo Cement Corporation in Japan.
Meanwhile, in Spain, we are demonstrating how carbon capture can provide cement companies with a new revenue stream as part of the circular carbon economy. Our project with LafargeHolcim Spain will take carbon captured from the Carboneras cement factory and use it in greenhouses in the region to improve crop productivity.
Our latest modular industrial carbon capture technology – CycloneCC – is set to offer huge benefits to the cement industry. Some of the biggest barriers to widespread carbon capture adoption have been the size and cost of existing technology. CycloneCC uses equipment that is up to ten times smaller than conventional solutions, reducing capex and opex by up to 50 per cent.

What is your outlook on the net zero commitment pledged by cement companies, targeted at 2030?
The cement sector is a big emitter, accountable for around 8 per cent of global CO2 emissions, but carbon capture will play a significant role in ensuring the sector decarbonises and achieves its ambitious targets. The solutions are already available – it’s now time to act.

How can cement manufacturers effectively reduce carbon emissions and work on CCUS for long term impact?
Carbon capture is vital for the decarbonisation of cement manufacturing. Up to 70 per cent of CO2 emissions come from the calcining calcium carbonate chemical process, which can’t be reduced with other methods. Industrial carbon capture solutions must be deployed in the near term to start many manufacturers on the path to net zero.

What advice would you like to give to companies, especially Indian ones, regarding KPIs for carbon capture?
There is huge interest in carbon capture solutions from the cement industry. Today, historical barriers to adoption like cost and onsite space are being overcome by advances in carbon capture technology.
Carbon Clean’s latest modular technology, for example, uses equipment that is ten times smaller than conventional carbon capture solutions and has a five times smaller onsite footprint. It is prefabricated, deployable in less than eight weeks, and can be scaled over time to suit a company’s decarbonisation trajectory. This breakthrough solution reduces capex and opex by up to 50 per cent compared to conventional carbon capture, driving down the
cost of carbon capture to $30/tonne on average. At this cost, the economic case for carbon capture becomes undeniable.
We are working with cement companies across the globe to demonstrate the potential for carbon capture to meet decarbonisation targets.
The solutions today are accessible, affordable and already in use.

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Concrete

Cement Makers’ Margins To Fall Rs 50-75 Per Tonne Amid West Asia Conflict

Crisil Sees Margins Easing Despite Steady Demand

Published

1 week ago

July 29, 2026

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Crisil said operating margins of Indian cement manufacturers are expected to decline by Rs 50-75 per tonne (t) this fiscal to Rs 925-950 per t due to higher input costs triggered by the West Asia conflict. The analysis covered 18 cement companies accounting for nearly 90 per cent of India’s domestic cement capacity and noted margins had improved sharply to around Rs 1,000 per t in fiscal 2026.

Crisil noted that the reduction would be driven mainly by higher power and fuel costs, which account for about 30 per cent of total costs, as petcoke and imported coal prices have surged amid geopolitical uncertainties. Freight costs, which account for about a quarter of total costs, are also expected to remain elevated because of higher diesel prices. The impact on profitability is likely to be more pronounced in the first half of the fiscal year before easing commodity prices moderate cost pressures later.

The rating agency said steady domestic demand and strong balance sheets should keep credit profiles stable despite the moderation in margins. Green energy currently accounts for 35-40 per cent of the sector’s total electricity consumption and is expected to partly cushion higher energy costs. Operating cash flows are likely to remain resilient, supported by projected 6-7 per cent growth in cement demand this fiscal.

Crisil highlighted that demand growth will be driven primarily by infrastructure spending, which meets about one-third of sector consumption, and by a nearly 18 per cent higher budgetary allocation for core ministries that should support project execution. Weaker rural housing demand amid pressure on agricultural incomes from a possible below-average monsoon may be offset by improved urban housing demand supported by favourable home-loan rates and a strong pipeline of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban projects. Ongoing capacity additions will keep capital expenditure elevated and may lift net debt to EBITDA to between 1.2 and 1.4 times from around 1.0 time last fiscal, though ratios are expected to remain healthy.

Concrete

UltraTech Board Approves Rs 50 bn Fundraise Via NCDs

Company to issue half a million debentures for expansion plan

Published

1 week ago

July 28, 2026

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UltraTech Cement’s board of directors has approved raising Rs 5,000 crore (Rs 50 bn) through non?convertible debentures issued in rupees.

The finance committee cleared a proposal to issue up to 500,000 fully paid, unsecured, listed, rated, redeemable, rupee?denominated, non?convertible, non?cumulative debentures of Rs 1 lakh each (Rs 0.1 mn each), aggregating to the Rs 5,000 crore programme.

As of June 2026 the firm reported net debt of Rs 15,875 crore (Rs 158.75 bn) and said its capacity expansion projects under execution are backed by capital expenditure of about Rs 17,000 crore (Rs 170 bn) over the next two to two?and?a?half years.

UltraTech spent Rs 9,500 crore (Rs 95 bn) on capital expenditure in financial year 2026 and in April the group crossed 200.1 mn tonnes per annum of domestic grey cement capacity and 205.5 mn tonnes per annum of global capacity.

The chief financial officer indicated the company would take consolidated capacity beyond 242 mn tonnes per annum, with grey cement capacity reaching 212.7 mn tonnes per annum by the end of financial year 2027. He noted the net debt?to?earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation ratio stood at 0.87 times as of June 2026 and the company was confident of ending financial year 2027 with the ratio below one time.

In the first quarter of financial year 2026?27 UltraTech’s net profit attributable to owners rose 16.8 per cent year?on?year to Rs 2,599.3 crore (Rs 25.993 bn) and revenue from operations increased 15.9 per cent to Rs 24,648.20 crore (Rs 246.482 bn). The board approval is expected to complement internal cash flows as the company advances its expansion programme.

Concrete

Lokesh Lays Stone For Rs 31 Billion Cement Unit In Kadapa

Line-2 expansion to make Kadapa a major cement hub

Published

2 weeks ago

July 20, 2026

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Andhra Pradesh Education and IT Minister Nara Lokesh on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for the Line-2 expansion of Dalmia Bharat Cement at Chinnakomerla village in Mylavaram Mandal in Kadapa district. The project carries an investment of Rs 31 billion (bn) and is slated for completion by the third quarter of the financial year 2028. The expansion is intended to boost industrial growth and employment generation across the Rayalaseema region.

Once commissioned, the Kadapa facility will become Dalmia Bharat’s largest integrated cement manufacturing ecosystem in southern India, creating over 1,000 direct and indirect jobs and opening new business avenues for regional micro, small and medium enterprises and transport operators. Lokesh said the expansion signalled growing corporate confidence in the state and reflected the practical ease of doing business that secured repeat investment.

He placed the project within the government’s wider economic targets and recalled the Yuvagalam padayatra commitment to generate two million (mn) jobs within five years, noting that the state would cultivate talent while industry created opportunities. Lokesh highlighted Andhra Pradesh’s competitive pursuit of major manufacturing accounts, mentioning past successes and a personal initiative to engage global investors when persuading them to anchor expansion in the state.

The plant will leverage Kadapa’s abundant limestone reserves to scale production and sustainability. Clinker capacity is planned to rise from two point five million tonnes per annum (mn tpa) to six point one mn tpa, while overall cement output will increase from three point six mn tpa to nine point six mn tpa. The unit is designed to operate on over eighty per cent renewable energy and deploy waste heat recovery, zero liquid discharge, water recycling and advanced AI systems to optimise efficiency. Industries Minister TG Bharat, BC Welfare Minister S. Savitha and Jammalamadugu MLA C. Adinarayana Reddy attended the ceremony.