Concrete

Cementing a Sustainably Progressive Strategy

Published

4 years ago

September 19, 2022

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Dr Arvind Bodhankar, Executive Director, ESG & CRO, Dalmia Bharat, discusses methods to tackle energy efficiency problems with an improved ESG strategy, new technologies and latest innovations.

Driving the circular economy as a leading cement manufacturer in the country involves being committed towards environmental sustainability. By ensuring a low-carbon transition, it is possible to envision a future that is not just green and livable for people today but for generations to come. We need to keep in mind that cement is the second largest material consumed on our planet after water and producing it means utilising a lot of natural resources. Therefore, as responsible cement manufacturers, we need to tackle these problems by embedding our ESG strategy within our corporate framework and collaboratively working with new technologies, the latest innovations and, more importantly, partnering with policy-related enablers.

Impact of Governmental Infrastructure Spending
The Government of India’s spend on infrastructure is already providing a necessary stimulus to the cement industry. A key example would be the government’s Gatishakti project with a commitment to 1.4 crores housing under the affordable housing scheme for which a spend Rs 1.47 lakh crore is expected on infrastructure. This will require a significant amount of cement, which will result in the Indian cement sector as well the nation reaching new heights. But before we get to that level, it is important to address the challenges being faced by the cement industry in India.

Reducing Climate Risk Through Collaborative Efforts
The cement industry affects climate change as it contributes seven to eight per cent to the global carbon pool. To curtail this, stakeholders that include members of the United Nations Principal of Responsible Investment and such have begun to reach out to cement industry players across the globe to come up with solutions to cut down on CO2 emissions to see investments flow in.

While some corporations are just beginning to look for solutions others such as us, Dalmia Bharat are leading the pack with commitments that encourage the circular economy. Global visionaries, such as our honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have also stated that India will become a carbonneutral country by 2070 and is committed to 520 GW of renewable energy by 2030. This has helped ease new policies as far as renewable energy is concerned and enabled sector leaders such as us to stay the course to meet our goal of becoming carbon negative by 2040.

While some may see this a stretched target, the right technology implementation has already helped us achieve nearly 43 per cent reduction in carbon footprints from the 1990 baseline enabling us to surpass the target we set for ourselves for 2025. And by collaborating with government and nongovernmental organisations on policy and public advocacy we can keep track of climate change emerging risks, work closely with leadership as well as the operations team to develop the mitigation plan and track its implementation. By 2030, we are confident that we will be able to get rid of conventional energy, that is, energy from power plants.

Integrating Organisational Goals with a Progressive ESG Strategy
The leadership of a cement organisation must be committed to ESG. A key example for this would be the 2040 target that we at Dalmia Bharat have set. Especially in a sector where 55 per cent to 60 per cent are processes-related emissions, yet we have been able to achieve the interim targets of our roadmap. This shows the commitment at a corporate, environment and social level. We believe clean and green is profitable and sustainable, and we see this becoming a possibility only when it is firmly entrenched within our strategy. Everything that we set out to do, we look at it from the lens of sustainability and ESG. So, whether it is ours or any other company, there are some inherent risks such as raw material security, climate change, environment, and health and safety. But when you have a robust environment framework, one can control the risk and bring it to an acceptable level. Organisations must have a focus on alternate fuel, which leads to raw material security.

Due to our strategic focus on ESG, we have made the commitment not only to become carbon negative by 2040 but also like ‘RE100’, EP 100, EV 100, FMC and LEADIT to act as catalyst for change in the Heavy-industry sector. All these initiatives have positively impacted the trust from stakeholders and improved our ESG scores so that we can help build a nation that encourages a circular economy and sustains for aeons to come

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UltraTech Cement FY26 PAT Crosses Rs 80 bn

Company reports record sales, profit and 200 MTPA capacity milestone

Published

1 day ago

April 29, 2026

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UltraTech Cement reported record financial performance for Q4 and FY26, supported by strong volumes, higher profitability and improved cost efficiency. Consolidated net sales for Q4 FY26 rose 12 per cent year-on-year to Rs 254.67 billion, while PBIDT increased 20 per cent to Rs 56.88 billion. PAT, excluding exceptional items, grew 21 per cent to Rs 30.11 billion.

For FY26, consolidated net sales stood at Rs 873.84 billion, up 17 per cent from Rs 749.36 billion in FY25. PBIDT rose 32 per cent to Rs 175.98 billion, while PAT increased 36 per cent to Rs 83.05 billion, crossing the Rs 80 billion mark for the first time.

India grey cement volumes reached 42.41 million tonnes in Q4 FY26, up 9.3 per cent year-on-year, with capacity utilisation at 89 per cent. Full-year India grey cement volumes stood at 145 million tonnes. Energy costs declined 3 per cent, aided by a higher green power mix of 43 per cent in Q4.

The company’s domestic grey cement capacity has crossed 200 MTPA, reaching 200.1 MTPA, while global capacity stands at 205.5 MTPA. UltraTech also recommended a special dividend of Rs 2.40 billion per share value basis equivalent to Rs 240.

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Towards Mega Batching

Optimised batching can drive overall efficiencies in large projects.

Published

2 days ago

April 28, 2026

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India’s pace of infrastructure development is pushing the construction sector to work at a significantly higher scale than previously. Tight deadlines necessitate eliminating concreting delays, especially in large and mega projects, which, in turn, imply installing the right batching plant and ensuring batching is efficient. CW explores these steps as well as the gaps in India’s batching plant market.

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Large-scale infrastructure and building projects typically involve concrete consumption exceeding 30,000-50,000 cum per annum or demand continuous, high-volume pours within compressed timelines, according to Rahul R Wadhai, DGM – Quality, Tata Projects.

Considering the daily need for concrete, “large-scale concreting involves pouring more than 1,000–2,000 cum per day while mega projects involve more than 3,000 cum per day,” says Satish R Vachhani, Advanced Concrete & Construction Consultant…

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Concrete

Andhra Offers Discom Licences To Private Firms Outside Power Sector

Policy allows firms over 300 MW to seek distribution licences

Published

3 days ago

April 27, 2026

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The Andhra Pradesh government will allow private firms that require more than 300 megawatt (MW) of power to apply for distribution licences, making the state the first to extend such licences beyond the power sector. The policy targets information technology, pharmaceuticals, steel and data centres and aims to reduce reliance on state utilities as demand rises for artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Approved applicants will be able to procure electricity directly from generators through power purchase agreements, a change officials said will create more competitive tariffs and reduce supply risk. Licence holders will use the Andhra Pradesh Transmission Company (APTRANSCO) network on payment of charges and will not need a separate distribution network initially.

Licences will be granted under the Electricity Act, 2003 framework, with the Central and State electricity regulators retaining authority over terms and approvals. The recent Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025 sought to lower entry barriers, enable network sharing and encourage competition, while the state commission will set floor and ceiling tariffs where multiple discoms operate.

Industry players and original equipment manufacturers welcomed the policy, saying competitive supply is vital for large data centre investments. Major projects and partnerships such as those involving Adani and Google, Brookfield and Reliance, and Meta and Sify Technologies are expected to benefit as capacity expands in the state.

Analysts noted India’s data centre capacity is forecast to reach 10 gigawatts (GW) by 2030 and cited International Energy Agency estimates that global data centre electricity consumption could approach 945 terawatt hours by the same year. A one GW data centre needs an equivalent power allocation and one point five times the water, which authorities equated to 150 billion litres (150 bn litres).

Advisers warned that distribution licences will require close regulation and monitoring to prevent misuse and to ensure tariffs and supply obligations are met. Officials said the policy aims to balance investor requirements with regulatory oversight and could serve as a model for other states.