Climate protection is a core element of HeidelbergCement’s environmental policy. As a company that uses a great deal of energy, we have been striving to minimise our CO
2 emissions for many years. Between 1990 and 2010, we reduced our specific net CO
2 emissions per tonne of cement (the figures refer to cement and cementitious materials) by more than 17.9% to 638.4 kg of CO
2 per tonne. We have thus overachieved our current goal – 15% less CO
2 emissions by 2010. By 2015 we now aim to attain a CO
2 reduction of 23% compared to the 1990 level.
We have been implementing several measures to lower CO
2 emissions. They include:
- the continual investment in energy-efficient technologies and production processes
- the increased use of composite cement — a feature that has enabled us to reduce the clinker content to 76.1% of our total cement production to date
- and greater use of alternative fuels including biomass (20.5% of our total energy consumption in 2010).
Participation in the EU Emissions Trading System
HeidelbergCement operates 48 facilities in 11 countries that participate in the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS). It is also active in the market for emission certificates. In anticipation of such a situation, we established a Group-level position for emission issues several years ago. The associated corporate department not only manages trading activities in the EU but also monitors developments in countries outside of Europe that might affect our plants.
HeidelbergCement also employs Kyoto Protocol emissions reduction mechanisms. We are currently implementing three projects in accordance with the Clean Development Mechanism methodologies. Our Joint Implementation project was officially recognised in October 2010. As part of the project, we are reducing CO2 emissions at our Kryvyi Rih Cement plant in Ukraine through the use of alternative fuels.
The EU will soon make major decisions regarding the future of European emissions trading for the period 2013–2020. EU institutions agreed on a benchmarking method for the cement industry in March 2011. This method stipulates that cement manufacturers will receive free allocations for a portion of their emissions during the third phase of the ETS.
However, discussions regarding the level of such allocations continue, and uncertainties therefore remain. In the medium term the allocations will most probably not cover all of HeidelbergCement’s anticipated CO2 emissions. We therefore expect that we will have to purchase additional emission certificates.
Innovations for climate protection
HeidelbergCement is working hard to develop and implement innovative solutions that will lower CO2 emissions. In many countries, we are the leader when it comes to using biomass fuel. We are also funding a forward-looking research project involving the capture and storage of CO2 at our facility in Brevik, Norway.
In addition, we were one of the first companies in Europe to generate electricity from waste heat from kilns. We have accumulated many years of experience with this procedure in places like Germany and Sweden, and we are now applying the expertise acquired around the world. In China, we are currently generating electricity from waste heat in five kiln lines. Some 35% of the electrical energy requirement in these plants is now produced with waste kiln heat that previously went unused. We plan to introduce this technology in other countries where the Group is active in cases where it makes economic sense to do so. For example, we are now building a 15-megawatt power generation facility in Canakkale, Turkey, that will utilise waste heat from two kiln lines. Once the facility is completed, approximately 6% of the energy requirement at the cement business line will be covered by production from alternative energy sources at HeidelbergCement.