India's Ambuja partners with UK's Leilac for low-carbon cement production

India's Ambuja Cements has partnered with UK-based Leilac to develop a commercial-scale pathway for low-carbon cement production, the company said in a statement June 22.

The project will be implemented at Ambuja's 6.6 million metric tons/year Sanghipuram plant in Gujarat, where Leilac's carbon capture and hybrid electric heating technology will be used to target process emissions from clinker production.

Ambuja said the technology is designed to enable a pathway to eliminate coal consumption while allowing flexible use of alternative fuels and increasing reliance on renewable electricity.

If successfully demonstrated, the facility could be scaled up by seven to eight times, enabling carbon capture volumes of more than 1 million mt/y and positioning it as one of the largest industrial-scale installations of its kind globally.

Ambuja added that the initiative is part of its broader decarbonization strategy, supported by nearly 1 gigawatts of captive green power capacity, as it moves toward its long-term net-zero emissions target.

Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, last assessed cement (ASTM type I) FOB Vietnam at $39.75/mt on June 18, up from $39.50/mt the previous week. Platts assessed cement clinker FOB Vietnam at $33.25/mt, down from $33.50/mt over the same period.