Investment in cement manufacturing to create jobs and reduce carbon emissions
Continental Blue Investments Ghana Limited (CBI) operates a facility in Tema in Ghana that produces 550,000 tons of cement per year for industrial and residential construction and infrastructure.
“Cement is an essential input for a growing economy, but the production is also a major source of climate gas emissions. By investing in state-of-the-art technology that cuts emissions, while increasing local sourcing and production, we aim to contribute to development, the company’s growth and to climate mitigation”, says Naana Winful Fynn, Regional Director for West Africa for Norfund.
Cement accounts for about 7% of the world’s CO2 emissions. Most of the emissions come from the production of clinker, the most important input factor in cement. Through new technology, however, a significant part of the clinker can be replaced with calcined clay.
By building a 405,000 tons per annum clay calcination unit, CBI will significantly reduce CO2 emissions from the production and increase local sourcing. The project will be the world’s largest clay calcination production unit.
By replacing 30-40% of the clinker in the final product, it is expected to cut up to 20% of the overall CO2 emissions from the production of the cement compared to current practices, and 30-40% compared to standard production of Ordinary Portland Cement (including the production of imported clinker), which will mean estimated avoided emissions of 300 000 tCO2e/year.