Gypsum industry news
Ukraine: Knauf Gips Ukraine has bought guarantees of origin for its electricity through Ukraine’s National Electronic Register. The guarantees confirm the sources of the company’s energy in Ukraine. Newsbase Daily News has reported that this will form the basis for future development of the country’s renewable energy market. Ukrainian authorities have previously attempted two green energy auctions, both of which failed due to investor concerns over the guaranteed buyers’ financial obligations and regulatory instability.
Power provider Elementum Energy Manager Olga Rybachuk said “The first investors in new projects will be those already in the market and familiar with the risks. Newcomers rely on their assessments. Green auctions are an important tool, but credit risk remains a critical factor.”
Spain: Paper products specialist Alier has begun construction of a new €40m gypsum wallboard recycling plant in Zaragoza’s López Soriano Recycling Technology Park. The plant will recycle gypsum wallboards powered by a solar plant and biomass plant, generating net zero CO2 emissions. The Heraldo de Aragón newspaper has reported that the plant will create 130 direct jobs and an estimated 390 indirect jobs.
Romania: Saint-Gobain Romania has completed construction of a new 1730-panel solar power plant at its Turda gypsum wallboard plant in Cluj County. Electronics retailer Visual Fan supported the project, which will contribute ‘significantly’ to meeting the plant’s energy consumption. When commissioned, it will reduce the Turda plant’s CO2 emissions by 238t/yr. Romania’s government partly funded the installation under its National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
Saint-Gobain Romania CEO Ovidiu Păscuțiu said “This project represents an important step for Saint-Gobain in the direction of adopting renewable energy and reinforcing our commitment to the environment. It is a concrete example of investments made to optimise our production processes by reducing internal energy consumption. We have an ambitious sustainability goal – net zero carbon emissions by 2050. We will achieve this by investing in innovation, new technologies and a portfolio of solutions that pave the way for lightweight and sustainable construction.”
Saint-Gobain to power 20% of Italian operations renewably
09 February 2024Italy: Saint-Gobain has entered into a 10-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Switzerland-based utilities provider Axpo Holding. Under the agreement, Axpo Holding will supply 22GWh/yr of renewable electricity from a newly built wind farm in Puglia. The deal will fulfil 11% of Saint-Gobain's Italian energy needs across 10 sites.
The latest PPA with Axpo Italia is Saint-Gobain's fifth in Italy. Collectively, these will bring the group’s reliance on renewables in its Italian operations to 20%.
Saint-Gobain Gyproc’s Abu Dhabi gypsum wallboard plant recycles 22,000t of gypsum since 2014
08 January 2024UAE: The wallboard recycling unit at Saint-Gobain Gyproc’s Abu Dhabi gypsum wallboard plant has processed 22,000t of gypsum since 2014, the L'Usine Nouvelle newspaper has reported. The producer said that the Abu Dhabi plant can incorporate 10 – 12% recycled materials in its gypsum wallboard production. It runs on a diversified energy supply, which in its most recent recorded month included 55% nuclear, 38% natural gas and 7% solar energy.
In 2023, Saint-Gobain reduced its non-recycled waste by 78% year-on-year and its water footprint by 14% from 2017 levels in the UAE.
