CRH installs wind farm to directly power cement plant

Building materials producer CRH is supplying its Medgidia Cement Plant, part of Romania-based Romcim, with electricity from its new wind farm, the first of a kind in the country.

The wind farm will power the facility exclusively and meet a significant proportion of the Medgidia Cement Plant’s annual energy requirements, according to New York-based CRH.

The investment will lower the carbon footprint of the plant’s products and contribute to Romania’s clean energy transition.

The project started in August 2023 and the wind farm is now fully operational. Consisting of five turbines, it has a total installed capacity of approximately 30 MW and an estimated annual net production of 80 GWh.

The wind farm will cover approximately 50% of the plant’s power demand

According to the CRH 2023 Sustainability Performance Report, the wind farm will meet approximately 50% of the plant’s power demand.

Eunice Heath, CHR’s Chief Sustainability Officer, said it is a significant clean energy project for the company and one of the many ways it is helping the creation of a more resilient and sustainably built environment.

“Building a wind farm to power one of our cement plants demonstrates our commitment to decarbonizing and providing lower carbon building materials solutions for our customers to help meet the changing needs of construction,” she stated.

Using renewable electricity and generating it on-site helps CRH achieve its target of reducing carbon emissions by 30%

CRH said using renewable electricity and generating it on-site helps it achieve its target of reducing carbon emissions by 30% by 2030.

The new wind farm will reduce Romania’s national energy-related CO2 emissions by 40,000 tons.

According to the CRH 2023 Sustainability Performance Report, the proportion of renewable electricity in the company’s consumption increased to 31% in 2023 from 25%.

“We procure power from renewable sources such as solar and wind and some of our sites generate renewable electricity on-site,” the report reads.