Cement Group

Kenya’s Bamburi Cement Group plans to cut its annual carbon dioxide emissions from plants in Kenya and Uganda by 132,000t by reducing the use of fossil fuels in cement-making. Bamburi did not give an exact figure for its annual emissions but managing director Michel Puchercos put it at about 1.5Mt, based on the production of 1.5Mt of cement. The company, which is 60%-owned by Lafarge, plans to reduce its use of fossils fuels such as coal, and substitute it with wood from its own plantations as well as coffee, rice and cashewnut husks. The fuels are used to fire kilns that roast limestone, a key ingredient in cement.

Bernard Osawa, business manager in charge of alternative fuels, said: “In Kenya and Uganda Between now and 2010 we are targeting a redution of 132,000t of CO2. We are looking at three projects. They are in various stages of development.” Osawa said that cumulatively the company had cut its emissions by a total of over 111,000t of CO2 since 2002 at a cost of Euro3.8m and plans to invest another Euro14m euros in the next two to three years. The firm plans to substitute 20% of fossil fuel at its plant in the coastal city of Mombasa, which uses about 300t of coal a day. It also plans to substitute fossil fuel use by 50% in Uganda where it has its Hima Cement subsidiary.

The cement sector is one of the world’s largest producers of greenhouse gases, producing about 5% of global emissions. Cement production creates carbon emissions twice – first from burning coal to heat the limestone raw material, and again as the limestone separates into carbon dioxide and lime.