Cement company CEMEX expands renewable diesel use in California

Concrete and cement manufacturing company CEMEX USA announced Jan. 13 that it continues to expand use of low carbon alternative fuels at several of its California operations, utilizing renewable diesel to power trucks and machinery as part of its global Future in Action program aimed at reducing CO2 emissions throughout its operations and supply chain.

“At CEMEX, we have ambitious goals to reduce our CO2 emissions across our value chain, and alternative fuels are key to helping us reach our sustainability goals,” said Jaime Muguiro, president of CEMEX USA. “Renewable diesel allows us to make a positive change for the environment almost immediately, contributing to a circular economy by using a product made from waste streams.”

CEMEX USA began using renewable diesel, produced by Neste Corp. and supplied by Western States Oil, in its ready-mix concrete mixer trucks in the Bay Area in 2018 during a pilot program. In the past few years, the initiative has expanded to include heavy machinery and off-road vehicles at CEMEX USA’s Eliot and Cache Creek quarries, along with its aggregates terminal in Redwood City and 14 ready mix plants in Northern California. In Southern California, renewable diesel is being utilized at 11 ready-mix plants, three quarries and in heavy equipment at the cement plant in Apple Valley.

CEMEX’s vehicles running on Neste MY Renewable Diesel emit up to 75 percent less greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over the lifecycle compared to fossil diesel. Since the start of the program, CEMEX USA has prevented more than 33,000 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere—roughly the same climate benefit as making more than 7,000 passenger cars zero-emission.

“Decarbonizing within the heavy building materials industry is tough, partly because it depends on really big equipment powered by big engines, which is why the combination of advanced diesel engines and renewable diesel is one of the best solutions today,” said Carrie Song, Neste’s vice president for renewable road transport in North America. “We look forward to helping CEMEX as it works to transition its heavy-duty vehicles and equipment toward zero emissions by powering more of their equipment with renewable diesel.”

Neste MY Renewable Diesel is Top-Tier certified. No modifications to CEMEX’s trucks and machinery were needed to switch to renewable diesel, enabling CEMEX to immediately and directly reduce GHG emissions from its operations in California practically overnight and with no extra cost.

In 2021, CEMEX updated its global sustainability targets, committing to provide net zero CO2 concrete by 2050 with interim goals to reduce CO2 emissions in its cement business by 40 percent and in concrete by 35 percent by 2030. The company is also a founding member of the First Movers Coalition, an initiative that unites more than two dozen companies to drive innovation for decarbonization.

CEMEX is a global building materials company. Its U.S. network includes 10 cement plants, close to 50 strategically located cement terminals, nearly 50 aggregate quarries and more than 280 ready-mix concrete plants.