Dr. Chana Poomee, Chairman of the Thai Cement Manufacturers Association (TCMA), announced the vision of ‘TCMA Synergising the Actions towards Net Zero 2050’ to drive the cement industry, join forces in all sectors, upgrade industry energy transition with innovation, connect global green funds to realise the Net Zero Goal, increase Thailand’s industrial capacity, and respond to the climate change megatrend.
Continuing his leadership of the Thai Cement Manufacturers Association for another term, Dr. Poomee presented a vision statement ‘TCMA Synergising the Actions towards Net Zero 2050’, focusing on several key missions: accelerating the Thai cement industry, transitioning to clean energy, achieving Net Zero by 2050, integrating cooperation with all sectors, and elevating TCMA’s role on the international forum to connect green funds in helping the Thai industry cope with the green economy megatrend and sustainable growth.
Dr. Chana Poomee, along with the TCMA Board, outlined the long-term direction of TCMA, a collaboration nexus of leading Thai cement producers. Over the next two years, 2024-2026, TCMA will accelerate its efforts to join forces with all sectors to achieve key missions in four areas:
- Research and development of new low-carbon cements such as calcined clay cement. This mission will resume immediately after a successful transition to hydraulic cement as the primary cement in Thailand since 1 January 2024, marking Thailand’s New Era of Low Carbon Cement.
- Accelerating the expansion of maximise resource-efficiency mining practices according to the Minerals Act B.E. 2560 (2017). The intent is for the mining industry to contribute to the sustainable economic development of the country, for example, joint development mining area ‘Khao Wong Model’ in accordance with green mining practices, reducing environmental and health impacts from mining through innovation and technology, rehabilitating old mining areas into community water sources and learning centres, and contributing to a low-carbon society.
- Building an integrated ecosystem and turning waste to value through the cement production process according to the Bio-Circular-Green Economy (BCG). Currently, the cement industry uses waste from industrial, community, and agricultural sectors (after the 3R process: reduce, reuse, recycle) as fuel in co-processing kilns. This initiative maximises resource efficiency, reduces PM2.5, contributes to zero-landfill, and most importantly, lowers greenhouse gas emissions. TCMA aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by not less than 6.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2030.
- Leveraging innovation for the industry’s transition to clean energy. This mission requires a synergy of government policies, appropriate technology, and global green funds to support Thailand in transitioning to clean energy and boosting competitiveness. TCMA will work closely with partner agencies, such as Thailand Fellowship Cement Manufacturers, Federation of Thai Industries, Board of Trade of Thailand, Thai Bankers Association, etc.
Furthermore, the “PPP-Saraburi Sandbox: A Low Carbon City” project will be accelerated. This partnership among public, private, and people sectors uses a 3C approach: Communication, Collaborative action, Conclusion (step-by-step). Saraburi Province has been selected as a pilot area for several prototype GHG reduction approaches and projects, respecting different cooperation frameworks of each sector and aligning with Thailand’s NDC Roadmap. To achieve a concrete result, the pilot project has implemented: 1) Energy Transition, such as a solar energy project, Napier grass cultivation as an energy crop, the grid modernisation project, and the CCUS research project; 2) Industrial Processes and Product Use (IPPU) such as producing hydraulic cement and developing new types of low-carbon cement; 3) Waste management such as turning waste into Alternative Fuels (AF) and Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF); 4) Agriculture such as promoting alternate wetting and drying at rice paddy fields; and 5) Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF).
“The implementation of this project will result in a win-win-win situation for all parties. However, this success would not have been possible without the concerted effort and support of all sectors, particularly in regards to regulations that must be revised to enable the project to proceed. As these prototype projects roll out, we are also learning and understanding pathways to work forward. Some successful projects can be extended to other provinces, and some failures will find solutions, such as proposing to relevant agencies, in local and central governments, to amend regulatory roadblocks,” said Dr. Chana Poomee.
Dr. Chana concluded, “With strong determination and clear policy, TCMA will synergise its actions in implementing the aforementioned policies to support the government and other relevant sectors, including those at the regional level, such as the ASEAN cement collaboration towards decarbonisation, and at the global level, such as continued attendance at COP27 and COP28, and working closely with the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA), in collaboration with the UNFCCC and the World Economic Forum. TCMA will build networks to foster synergy, connect funding to Thailand, sharpen the competitiveness of the industry, and support the transition of Thailand to a low-carbon society as intended.”
The outlook for the Thai cement industry in 2024 is estimated to rebound compared to the year before, thanks to enabling factors from the recovering tourism and related services sectors, growing exports which will, in turn, stimulate the private construction sector, together with the ongoing government’s mega projects and a positive outlook after the Annual Budget Act came into effect. However, with the rising cost of living and high levels of household debt, the purchasing power of residential consumers is hard hit. In addition, inflation, interest rates, and the overall economic slowdown are also negatively affecting private sector investment (commercial) as well as the health of the Thai economy.