CEMEX Dominicana, S.A., part of Mexico-headed global building materials company CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V. (CEMEX) has announced that it is implementing state-of-the-art hydrogen technology at its San Pedro de Macorís cement plant in the Dominican Republic as part of its Future in Action program to achieve sustainable excellence and become a net-zero carbon company.
Hydrogen is a key technology with many potential benefits for the decarbonization of CEMEX operations. CEMEX is a pioneer in the adoption of hydrogen technology in the building materials industry.
Currently, it is being used as a catalyst that allows the company to increase the use of alternative fuels and increase thermal efficiency.
Both are essential levers for the company’s 2030 goal of reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the cement production process by approximately 40 percent. In the first half of 2022, CEMEX increased its use of alternative fuels by five percentage points, reaching an all-time high of 33 percent substitution rate.
Part of the Future in Action program
Through projects like this, we reiterate our commitment to harness innovation to meet our sustainability and CO2 reduction goals. Hydrogen is a key technology for our Future in Action program, both as an accelerator of our waste-to-energy efforts and as a potential carbon-free fuel source, said Fernando A. González, CEO of CEMEX.
Since 2019, the company has been using hydrogen to increase the use of alternative fuels and improve thermal efficiency in all its operations. As of 2021, the company uses hydrogen in all of its European plants.
Among its main projects is the collaboration with Hiiroc, a company that uses thermal plasma electrolysis to convert biomethane aka renewable natural gas – RNG), flare gas, or fossil gas into hydrogen, and the creation of the first renewable hydrogen industrial plant in Spain in collaboration with Acciona and Enagás.
During the visit to the CEMEX Dominicana San Pedro de Macorís plant, the Director General, the reopening of cement production line 1 was also inaugurated, with which the production capacity of the multinational increased, opening the possibility of increasing the use of alternative fuels.
With these important projects underway, the multinational reaffirms that it will continue to invest in the Dominican Republic, betting on the growth opportunities of the industry to develop comprehensive solutions for the construction of a more sustainable future.
