The cement industry is at a crucial juncture. The commitment to decarbonization is clear, but the path to achieving it is complex and fraught with technical, economic, and infrastructural constraints. This was one of the central ideas conveyed by Albert Avellaneda, director of Ciment Català, during the conference on carbon budgets organized on March 26th by the College of Industrial Engineers of Catalonia. In his presentation, Avellaneda highlighted an overlooked reality: in the case of cement, most emissions do not stem from energy consumption, but rather from the chemical production process itself. This means that reducing emissions depends not only on more efficient energy use, but also on a much deeper technological transformation.
In this context, he stressed that achieving net-zero emissions will depend largely on “the deployment of CO₂ capture technologies”, warning that these are very high investments—around 400 million euros—with an uncertain economic return. He emphasized that carbon budgets represent “a major challenge for the sector, both from a technological and economic standpoint”, and that their viability will be strongly linked not only to the capacity to undertake these investments, but also to the existence of the transport and storage infrastructure—a key factor for access by industrial activity and its transformation capacity.
The new carbon budgets implemented in Catalonia mark a turning point in the country’s climate policy, with particularly demanding emissions reduction targets for the entire industry. This instrument sets a global emissions limit of 161.6 million tons of CO₂ equivalent for the period 2026-2030, with the aim of aligning with European commitments and moving towards climate neutrality by 2050. From the perspective of the Catalan cement industry, represented by Ciment Català, it is essential that carbon budgets be implemented within a realistic and viable framework. Demanding ambitious targets will not be enough: the conditions necessary to achieve them must also be guaranteed. This implies having the infrastructure to transport and store captured CO₂, as well as ensuring access to competitively priced energy, a key factor for maintaining industrial activity and its transformative capacity. This new framework represents a significant challenge. The sector is already immersed in a profound transformation process to reduce its carbon footprint, with a roadmap that aims to achieve climate neutrality—and even negative emissions—by 2050.
However, the industry association warns that the current pace and demands of climate policies could strain the sector’s competitiveness if they are not accompanied by effective support measures. Catalan cement companies face multimillion-euro investments to adapt to European decarbonization targets, in the context of still weak domestic demand and with consumption 30% lower than the European Union average.
Decarbonization is undoubtedly an opportunity for the future. But for it to also be a real opportunity for industry, it is necessary to build an environment that combines climate ambition, economic viability, and industrial common sense. This is the message the sector wants to convey today: progress, yes, but with the necessary tools to make it possible.