RIYADH: Cement sits at the center of Saudi Arabia’s transformation. From giga-projects and housing developments to industrial zones and tourism infrastructure, demand for the material is expected to remain high as the Kingdom advances its Vision 2030 agenda.
But cement is also one of the world’s most carbon-intensive industries, responsible for roughly 8 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, according to the World Economic Forum. In Saudi Arabia alone, the sector emits an estimated 37.7 megatonnes of CO2 annually.
As one of the Middle East’s largest cement producers, with installed production capacity of around 85 million tonnes per year, Saudi Arabia now faces a critical challenge: how to sustain rapid construction growth while meeting its pledge to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2060.
For industries such as cement, steel and petrochemicals, decarbonization is particularly difficult because emissions are tied not only to energy use, but also to the manufacturing process itself.
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