Asghar Raza, Senior GM – Strategic Customer and Segment Mining, Minerals and Metals Segment, Schneider Electric, discusses the transition towards a low-carbon future through intelligent electrification.

The cement industry is one of the largest sources of CO2 emissions, accounting for about 8 per cent of global CO2 output. However, increasing abatement pressures are prompting efforts to reimagine the business. Companies now have several options to decarbonise. Optimistically, analyses indicate that CO2 emissions could be reduced by up to 75 per cent by 2050. Of this, only about 20 per cent will come from operational advances such as energy efficiency improvements and process optimisation, while the remaining reduction will need to stem from technological innovation and new growth areas such as CCUS, new materials and process electrification.
Combining traditional and innovative levers will accelerate progress toward these goals. Our digital technologies for energy, process, and quality management and optimisation support customers in achieving their decarbonisation objectives by reducing CO2 emissions. We collaborate with our customers to create comprehensive decarbonisation roadmaps that guide their transition toward a low-carbon future.

New green production by design
We enable green-by-design production capacity through integrated power, process automation and software solutions.
Our solutions accelerate decarbonisation by supporting green technology transitions across the entire engineering and modelling process — from end to end — using advanced software tools for operational efficiency.
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Green by Design has two key aspects:

• Sustainable equipment design: We engineer our equipment with sustainability at the core — ensuring higher resource efficiency and minimal climate impact. For instance, we are transitioning towards SF6- free equipment.
• System-level optimisation: We design entire systems to be fit-for-purpose, minimising resource consumption and improving overall process efficiency.

For a green cement plant, our solutions align with high-impact emission abatement levers. We support customers across the entire green lifecycle of the plant, including:

• Implementation of AFR and fuels
• Waste heat recovery systems (WHRS)
• Asset performance management
• CCUS deployment
• Green energy sourcing
• Process heat electrification

We continuously collaborate with partners and process OEMs on proof-of-concept (POC) and pilot projects in process heating, CCUS, WHRS and AFR technologies.

Greening existing capacity (brownfield)
We help customers decarbonise existing plants through optimised energy systems and a decarbonised supply chain.
Our fit-for-purpose MV/LV equipment design and energy efficiency consulting solutions deliver measurable impact.
The EcoStruxure Automation Platform features built-in libraries and function blocks that facilitate alternative fuel adoption with higher thermal substitution rates.
Our EcoStruxure Process Expert Solution with Advanced Process Control (APC) for waste heat recovery maximises energy recovery, optimises control and enhances operational efficiency — reducing downtime and improving asset performance.

Key achievements:

• Close collaboration with technology vendors for greening existing cement facilities.
• Five Schneider Electric factories recognised as Advanced Lighthouses by the World Economic Forum.

Energy supply strategy
Schneider Electric’s Energy Sustainability Consulting Services help customers optimise energy sourcing and monitor company-wide emissions for effective GHG management.

Key achievements and highlights:

• Targeting 50 per cent CO2 emission reduction from our top 1,000 suppliers by 2025.
• A Green Cement product made with alternative fuels can only be truly green if powered by renewable energy such as solar or wind. Given that integrated cement plants require over 50 MW of power each, renewable sourcing is essential.

• Unrivalled expertise in energy management:

o 300,000+ sites powered by Schneider solutions
o €30 billion in managed energy spend
o 13 GW+ of corporate renewable PPAs since 2014

• EcoStruxure Resource Advisor: A platform for tracking Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions.
• Ranked No. 1 Energy-as-a-Service Solutions Provider by Navigant Research.

Process energy management
We optimise process energy use through the following:

• Energy-efficient power system design: Includes SF6-free equipment, Altivar variable frequency drives, E-house solutions, and ETAP-based energy modelling with electrical digital twins.
• Advisory services: Comprehensive energy assessments, modernisation, and performance enhancement using energy-efficient software and drives.
• Leadership in power distribution: Expertise in low- and medium-voltage power design using digital twins and energy modelling.
• Advanced Process Control (APC): Optimises pyro and grinding operations with proven energy savings.

Our AI-powered APC represents a step toward autonomous operations, featuring:

• Soft sensors: Continuous monitoring of infrequent measurements for precision control.
• Non-linear modelling and prediction: Neural network-based models (RBF ANN) that improve process accuracy and foresight.
• Python scripting for online adaptation: Real-time optimisation under changing conditions.

In conclusion, achieving a low-carbon future for India’s cement industry demands not just intent but intelligent integration. Schneider Electric’s end-to-end decarbonisation solutions embody this approach. By enabling smarter, cleaner and more efficient operations across the entire cement value chain, we are helping cement producers accelerate their journey towards a greener planet.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Asghar Raza, Senior GM – Strategic Customer and Segment Mining, Minerals and Metals Segment, Schneider Electric, comes with over 20 years of experience, specialising in driving digital transformation, decarbonisation and sustainable industrial solutions.