Cemex, partners launch P430-M alternative fuels proj

MANILA, Philippines - Cemex Philippines has partnered with two international environmental groups in a P430-million quest for alternative fuels for cement production.  

The trilateral partnership which strengthens the companies’ environmental advocacies,  is their contribution to international efforts to address  climate change and respond to skyrocketing prices of fossil fuel in the world market.

Cemex recently sealed the deal with Green Siam Resources Corp. (GSRC) and the International Solid Waste Integrated Management Specialist Inc. (ISWIMS).  GSRC is a joint venture between Green Kraft Corp. and SCG Trading Co. Ltd.  of Thailand.

The three firms are set to launch a joint project seeking to convert biodegradable, non-reusable non-recyclable waste into alternative fuel.

Cemex  Philippines president Pedro Palomino said green advocacy is a high priority concern of their company.

“This is something Cemex plants all over the world have already been doing for some time now. This partnership underscores the urgency of searching for alternative fuels given the continuing rise of oil prices and the need to mitigate industrial carbon dioxide emission,” Palomino said.

Although the project entails large investment, Palomino pointed out the over-all benefits justify the project.

“We will save on fuel costs; we will help the communities; and we will help save the earth,” the  Cemex executive said.

The joint project calls on Green Siam and its affiliates to invest in the RDF plant, while ISWIMS is committed to supply 1,500 tons of raw municipal solid waste to be processed.

For its part, Cemex will implement a feeding and dosing system at its Solid Cement plant in Antipolo, Rizal.

Other interested companies can also avail themselves of alternative fuels since the deal is a non-exclusive supply arrangement.

The three companies disclosed that they have secured all the necessary government clearances for the project.

“The alternative fuels  partnership complies with existing policies and we are cooperating with the office of the governor (of Rizal) and other local units to make sure that we stay on stream,”  Palomino.said.

Rizal Gov. Casimiro Ynares, who was present during the contract signing expressed full support for this project which he envisions to be a more sustainable way of addressing waste disposal.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources’s Environmental Management Bureau has drawn up guidelines on the use of alternative fuels and raw materials in cement kilns.

The guidelines are embodied in Department Administrative Order 2010-06 which essentially ensures compliance to the various environment laws notably Republic Act  6969 also known as the Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Waste Control Act of 1990; RA 9749, otherwise known as the Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999; and RA 9003 or the  Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.