Intercem held its 117th Conference in Istanbul on September 5-7

The 117th meeting of INTERCEM, which brings together the global cement sector, took place in Istanbul from September 5 to 7, in collaboration with TÜRKÇİMENTO and the Cement, Glass, Ceramic, and Soil Products Exporters' Association (ÇCSİB). In his opening speech at INTERCEM 2023, TÜRKÇİMENTO CEO Volkan Bozay emphasized that Turkey is the fifth-largest cement producer in the world and the leading producer in Europe, with its installed production capacity in the cement sector.

Bozay also pointed out that Turkey is the world's second-largest exporter in terms of cement and clinker combined. He stated, "There are a total of 77 factories operating in Turkey, with approximately 119 million tons of cement capacity, including recent investments. The sector's current capacity utilization rate is 65%."

Highlighting that the Turkish cement sector aims to make significant contributions to Turkey's goal of achieving zero emissions by 2053, Bozay said:
"Beyond our position in the global market, we are also taking our place among the leading sectors in terms of transformation and new technologies in the fight against climate change, alongside low-carbon production. We attach great importance to the use of alternative fuels in reducing emissions. According to our calculations, in 2022, we obtained 10.1% of our energy from alternative fuels by using 1.6 million tons of waste. We closely monitor the projects of public institutions in Turkey aimed at reducing carbon emissions and strive to contribute to and be a part of projects developed for low-carbon production."

We Give Importance To Energy Efficiency Investments

Bozay also emphasized the cement sector's significant focus on energy efficiency investments. He stated, "In the Turkish cement sector, as of 2022 figures, 16 factories, with a total capacity of 141.5 MW and their own equity, produce their own energy through waste heat recovery in 25 lines. This figure is equivalent to the daily electricity consumption of approximately 566,000 households."

Bozay concluded by mentioning that the preparations for the green transformation of the Turkish cement sector are ongoing. They are working on projects related to renewable energy investments to enhance energy quality and reduce energy losses at the production level due to consumption.    During the event, a panel discussion was held on the impacts of the European Union's legislated Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). Speaking at the panel, Canan Derinöz Gencel, Environment and Climate Change Manager at TÜRKÇİMENTO, emphasized the importance of the cement sector producing with low carbon under both national and international regulations. She mentioned that municipal waste is an important option for alternative fuel to reduce the carbon content of cement production but noted that municipalities are not inclined to invest in alternative fuel production. Gencel also stated that hydrogen could be considered as an alternative fuel, and there is a need for research and development investment in Turkey, including options like carbon capture, utilization, and storage, but there is a lack of sufficient funding.  

Canan Derinöz Gencel expressed the following views:

 "Turkey serves as a good example in the fight against climate change due to its participation in international conventions. Turkey ratified the Kyoto Protocol in 2009 and has been a party to the Paris Agreement since 2021. Furthermore, Turkey has announced a net-zero goal by 2053. In the cement sector, we have prepared a low-carbon roadmap. About 10-15 years ago, most cement factories in Turkey were voluntarily monitoring emissions. Currently, there is an official monitoring system in place. The EU ETS carbon price does not apply to Turkey. The total cement export from Turkey to the EU constitutes about 5% of the total production. Applying a carbon cost of around 100 Euro/ton CO2 to the remaining 95% of production in Turkey to be exempt from the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism would be a disadvantage in terms of our competitiveness."