The Centre should come out with a special package of concessions, particularly in taxes, for cement factories to encourage them to adopt energy conservation measures, said R. A. Krishnakumar, Executive Director, Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Limited.
Speaking at the second edition of Energy Conference on ‘ Energy efficiency technologies in cement and manufacturing sector’ organised by Confederation of Indian Industry, Tiruchi Zone, here on Friday, he said there had been a marked improvement in cement industries in ushering in energy efficiency measures through adoption of latest equipment and technology. There had been a reduction by about four per cent in the use of conventional raw materials. Further, there was a growing awareness of the importance of saving energy among the stakeholders.
Still, there was scope for further bringing down energy consumption. For instance, use of variable frequency drive (VFD) equipment would go a long way in saving energy. Since it involved huge investment for cement factories, the Union government should give concession to encourage the factories to adopt the latest technology.
PAT scheme
Mr. Krishnakumar expressed his happiness over implementation of the Perform, Achieve, Trade (PAT) scheme being implemented through the Union Ministry of Energy and the Bureau of Energy Efficiency to promote energy efficiency.
Ulhas Parikar, Deputy Head, Geocycle India, in his address, spoke on maximum utilisation of waste products in wealth creation. Cement factories should adopt co-processing technique. It would help reduce emission of hazardous or obnoxious elements. It would also reduce wastage of raw materials and bring about efficiency in productivity. A lot of experiments had been conducted in this area, he said.
S. Sampath, Chairman, Tiruchi Zone of CII, said there was a growing awareness of the need for environment conservation. There was also increased awareness of maximum utilisation of raw materials and waste products.
