Technology Roadmap Low-Carbon Transition in the Cement Industry

Table 2: Key indicators for the global cement industry in the RTS and the 
roadmap vision (2DS) (continued)
Notes: Thermal energy intensity of clinker does not include any impact related to other carbon mitigation levers beyond improving energy 
efficiency (e.g. carbon capture). Electricity intensity of cement production does not include reduction in purchased electricity demand from the 
use of waste heat recovery equipment or any impact related to other carbon mitigation levers beyond improving energy efficiency (e.g. carbon 
capture). Alternative fuel use includes biomass, and biogenic and non-biogenic waste. Direct CO
2
intensity refers to net CO
2
emissions, after 
carbon capture.
RTS 
Low-variability case
Roadmap vision (2DS) 
Low-variability case
2014
2030
2040
2050
2030
2040
2050
Alternative fuel use (percentage of 
thermal energy consumption)
5.6
10.9
14.4
17.5
17.5
25.1
30.0
CO
2
captured and stored
(MtCO
2
/yr)
-
7
65
83
14
173
552
Direct process CO
2
intensity of 
cement (tCO
2
/t cement)
0.34
0.34
0.34
0.33
0.33
0.30
0.24
Direct energy-related CO
2
intensity
of cement (tCO
2
/t cement)
0.20
0.19
0.18
0.17
0.19
0.16
0.13
Climate ambition was heightened at the 21st 
session of the COP (UNFCCC) by aiming for a 
global temperature rise “well below 2°C” and 
pursuing efforts towards a 1.5°C increase. The 
scale of the challenge is highlighted by the 
considerable gap between a 2°C target and 
the trajectory resulting from current trends, 
announced policies and the non-conditional 
commitments contained in nationally 
determined contributions. In response to the 
conclusions from the 21st session of the COP, 
the IEA explored the impact of moving beyond 
2°C by analysing cost-effective pathways of 
meeting a 1.75°C trajectory in the Beyond 2°C 
Scenario (B2DS) with technologies that are 
commercially available or at demonstration 
stage. The B2DS provides an illustration of this 
challenge, although it is not definitive of a “well 
below 2°C” pathway.
If climate goals even more ambitious than 
those in the 2DS were pursued, the policy and 
technology challenges of bridging the gap with 
the decarbonisation pathway of choice would 
be amplified. Emissions reductions greater than 
those in the 2DS will be challenging to achieve. 
The cement sector would need to further 
reduce emissions by 3.2 GtCO
2
cumulatively 
by 2050 compared to the 2DS, which is about 
a 45% increase in the cumulatively carbon 
emissions reduction effort to get to the 2DS 
from the RTS (Figure 5). 
This enormous transformation would require 
exploiting the full carbon mitigation potential 
of strategies implemented in the 2DS within the 
constraints set by the sustainable availability of 
resources (e.g. biomass), while expanding the 
deployment of technologies such as carbon 
capture. Captured CO
2
emissions from cement 
manufacturing that are permanently stored as a 
share of total direct generated CO
2
emissions in 
the sector more than double (from 25% to 63%) 
in the B2DS compared to the 2DS by 2050.