TÜRKÇİMENTO Environment and Climate Change Manager Gencel: Hydrogen is a Good Alternatıive Fuel, But There is a Lack of Investment

The International INTERCEM 2023 event, held in Istanbul with the support of TÜRKÇİMENTO and attended by many companies from around the world, has concluded. Following INTERCEM 2023, a gala night sponsored by TÜRKÇİMENTO attracted significant attention from participants and business figures.    

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."