Mexico-headed global construction materials company CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V. (CEMEX) has recently announced the inauguration of its new Climafuel facility at its Rugby cement plant in the UK. This significant investment aims to allow the plant to eliminate the usage of fossil fuels, operating 100 percent on alternative fuels.
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According to the company, it is at the “forefront of the circular economy in the construction value chain” and is pioneering ways to increase the use of waste and residues as alternative raw materials and fuels in its operations with the use of new technologies.
CEMEX Europe leads the industry in its decarbonization efforts. By the end of 2022, CEMEX is expected to achieve a 40 percent reduction in carbon emissions in Europe, well on the way to its target of a 55 percent reduction by 2030, a target aligned with the European Union’s decarbonization goal.
Reduce fossil fuels in concrete production
Climafuel is a waste-derived fuel that is made using household residual and commercial waste that would otherwise go to landfills.
CEMEX’s investment into a new Climafuel facility at its Rugby Cement Plant is a significant milestone in the company’s ambitions to decarbonize. With the Government’s commitment to reach net-zero by 2050, it’s important we support the adoption of alternative fuels and the development of new, climate-friendly technologies to help companies such as CEMEX move to a cleaner, greener future, said the UK Minister for Investment, Lord Grimstone.
Reducing the use of fossil fuels at its cement plants is key to CEMEX’s efforts to decarbonize operations as part of its Future in Action strategy and global ambition of delivering net-zero carbon dioxide (CO2) concrete by 2050.
Rugby is the first CEMEX plant to achieve this milestone in CEMEX’s global Future in Action decarbonization strategy.
I am proud of CEMEX Europe’s continued leadership in our carbon action strategy. It serves as the model for the rest of our regions, said Fernando A. González, CEO of CEMEX on a visit to the Rugby plant.
With the investment at Rugby’s plant, CEMEX in Europe expects to process the equivalent annual residues of a city the size of Madrid or Berlin and is expected to achieve 70 percent alternative fuel substitution in the region this year.
I expect CEMEX to continue leading the way in our decarbonization journey. This effort is not only the way to build a better future for the communities in which we operate and society at large but it is also the right thing for the future of the company. I look forward to continued progress on our Future in Action strategy from all of our regions, Fernando A. González said.
With the completion of this considerable development, we have set new records in alternative fuel substitution, the highest of any of our plants, and eventually, expect to phase out completely the usage of fossil fuels at the plant. We expect the Rugby plant to be a model for other CEMEX cement plants around the world, said Sergio Menéndez, President of CEMEX Europe, Middle East, Africa & Asia.

