eading building solutions provider Holcim Philippines, Inc. is investing Php 210 million in projects to reduce the fuel consumption and increase mineral additive usage of its cement plants in Bacnotan, La Union and Lugait, Misamis Oriental, as part of efforts to raise business and sustainability performance.
Horia Adrian, President and CEO of Holcim Philippines, said the projects are part of the company’s commitment to continuously invest in its facilities to support the country’s progress and better serve customers. Furthermore, the projects will contribute to the company’s goal of making operations more sustainable.
“More efficient operations will help us deliver better financial results and improve our environmental footprint. We look to continue implementing these improvements to meet our objectives of delivering greater value to our shareholders and business partners while becoming better stewards of the environment,” he said.
Holcim Philippines held a ceremonial signing ceremony on July 7, 2021 to award the contract to Sinoma CBMIPH Construction Corp. for installing a drying facility in La Union. The project will significantly reduce the fuel consumption of the La Union plant by reusing hot gases from operations to dry materials instead of a separate equipment.
The project comes as Holcim Philippines’ La Union plant was awarded an ISO 45001:2018 for Occupational Health and Safety Management System and recertified for ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management System) and ISO 14001:2015 (Environmental Management System) by certification body TUV Rheinland.
Holcim Philippines also tapped Sinoma CBMIPH to install a drying facility at its Misamis Oriental plant that will reduce moisture of raw materials to improve grinding operations. This will enable the Misamis Oriental plant to increase mineral additives to reduce carbon footprint and save natural resources in making cement.
The La Union and Misamis Oriental projects are scheduled to be completed in the first quarter of 2022 and the end of October 2021, respectively. Sinoma CBMIPH is the local unit of China-based Sinoma CBMI, which has participated in a number cement plant projects all over the world.
In January, Holcim Philippines also started projects worth Php121.5 million to raise the efficiency of converting qualified waste materials to alternative fuels of its cement plant in Norzagaray, Bulacan. These will enable its Geocycle unit to support the Bulacan plant in using more qualified post-consumer and municipal solid wastes as alternative fuels instead of coal.