CO2 emission limits stifling Polish cement output
Cement producers in Poland warn that cut backs in CO2 emissions in the coming years will impede the ability of Polish cement works to satisfy domestic demand.
In 2008 cement consumption in the country will reach 18-18.5Mt, and in the coming years may rise to as high as 23Mt, contends the Polish Cement Association (SPC). The government has set a ceiling on CO2 emissions in the branch that will allow the production of just 12.9Mt of cement a year. The government administration decided to reduce emission limits of all industrial branches on a proportional basis after the European Commission decided in March 2007 to cut Poland’s ceiling by 30%, SPC explained. According to the Association, the government’s decision represents a particularly harsh blow for the cement branch and stands in contrast to solutions adopted by other European states, which shift the main burden of the new restrictions to their energy sectors.
Producers point out that CO2 discharges per tonne of cement produced in Poland is one of the lowest in Europe. Thanks to investments in modernising plants, the amount of harmful dust emitted into the atmosphere by cement works has fallen dramatically since 1989.
SPC is calling for a revision of Poland’s position on the CO2 emission cap so that the March decision does not have a negative impact on the national economy. In September this year cement producers appealed to the country’s prime minister to come up with a new method for allocating licences.
Source: Polish Market - Warsaw, Poland Published under Cement News
