UK energy minister visits Rugby cement works

The UK Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance visited Rugby Cement on Friday.

Lord Callanan visited the plant to gain an insight into the actions needed to decarbonise the country’s ‘dispersed’ cement plants.

The Minister was joined by his team from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), as well as Mark Pawsey, MP for Rugby & Bulkington, and a member of the influential House of Commons DESNZ Select Committee.

Lord Callanan, Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance, said: “We have a strong cement industry here in the UK which is vital to our infrastructure, housing and urban regeneration.

"The Government has recently published its blueprint for a carbon capture industry, to assist important sectors such as cement manufacturing to reach net zero while supporting our construction needs. It was excellent to hear from leaders here in Rugby, a cement heartland in its own right, about the impact of this work and I look forward to continuing this dialogue with UK cement producers.”

Martin Casey, Director Public Affairs, Communications & Social Impact commented: "Cement is a vital component in infrastructure such as hospitals, bridges, schools and houses so we must work together with Government to ensure that it can continue to be produced into the long term, while ensuring the West Midlands and UK meets its net zero targets.”

Cemex’s Rugby Cement Plant has pioneered the use of alternative fuels, including a multimillion-pound investment in 2022 to eliminate fossil fuel use in favour of waste derived alternatives, a key part of the firm’s global efforts to decarboniSe its operations and achieve net-zero CO2 cement and concrete by 2050.