Madrid, Spain. November 20, 2024. Cemex Ventures, Cemex’s corporate venture capital (CVC) and open innovation unit, announced today an initial hydrogen deployment at industrial scale with HiiROC, the pioneering British hydrogen company that produces affordable, clean hydrogen, at its Rugby cement plant in the United Kingdom. Hydrogen has emerged as a low-carbon energy source within the construction industry’s decarbonization roadmap and offers potential as an energy solution to help reduce the sector’s reliance on fossil fuels and lower CO2 emissions. This venture marks a significant milestone for Cemex, as it represents the beginning of a large-scale strategic project plan with the aim to further lower its carbon emissions in cement production.

HiiROC produces carbon-neutral hydrogen using its proprietary Thermal Plasma Electrolysis (TPE) process, which requires just one-fifth of the electrical energy used in water electrolysis and captures carbon as a solid byproduct, avoiding CO2 emissions – a game-changer for the industry. HiiROC’s modular solution can be deployed as single units to full-scale industrial plants. The hydrogen produced can be used as an alternative energy source to fuel clinker production processes, helping Cemex to achieve its decarbonization goals.

“Our investment into this breakthrough project with HiiROC reinforces Cemex’s commitment to transform the industry by working hand in hand with disruptive startups and new technologies,” said Gonzalo Galindo, Head of Cemex Ventures. “Hydrogen as an alternative source of energy has the capacity to significantly reduce the CO2 emissions produced in our operations, aligning with our 2050 goal to become a net-zero CO2 company and be industry leaders in the industrial use of hydrogen.”

“This deployment with Cemex marks a significant development in the use of HiiROC’s technology and another milestone in the rollout and production of affordable, clean, and scalable production units for a hard-to-decarbonize industry,” said Tim Davies, HiiROC’s Co-Founder and CEO.

This milestone is part of a longer-running strategic partnership between Cemex and HiiROC, which began in 2021 with an initial investment through Cemex’s corporate venture capital arm. Two years later, in 2023, the construction giant increased its stake in HiiROC to expand its hydrogen capacity at its pivotal cement plant in Rugby, United Kingdom.

This project is part of the roadmap for Future in Action, Cemex’s sustainability and decarbonization program, with the primary objective of becoming a net-zero CO2 company by 2050. Through Future in Action, Cemex has achieved company record-breaking progress in reducing its carbon footprint since its launch in 2020.

About HiiROC

HiiROC is a pioneering British hydrogen company dedicated to accelerating Net Zero by transforming the future of clean hydrogen. HiiROC’s proprietary process – Thermal Plasma Electrolysis –makes clean, affordable hydrogen using only one-fifth of the electricity required by water electrolysis while producing no carbon dioxide – an industry game-changer.

Founded in 2019, HiiROC has quickly established itself as a leader in the clean hydrogen technology, with development facilities in Hull and a research lab in Europe. The company has raised over £40mn from investors including Melrose, Wintershall Dea, Centrica, HydrogenOne, Hyundai, Cemex, and Kia.  The versatile technology is being demonstrated in 2024 through projects and partnerships across the spectrum of hydrogen use cases, from industrial decarbonization to energy management to transportation.

About Cemex Ventures

Launched in 2017, Cemex Ventures focuses on helping overcome the main challenges and capitalizing on the opportunity areas in the construction ecosystem through solutions that consider sustainability. Cemex Ventures has developed an open collaborative platform to lead the revolution of the construction industry, engaging startups, entrepreneurs, universities, and other stakeholders to tackle the challenges in the construction environment and shape the industry’s future. For more information on Cemex Ventures, please visit: www.cemexventures.com

About Cemex

Cemex is a global construction materials company that is building a better future through sustainable products and solutions. Cemex is committed to achieving carbon neutrality through relentless innovation and industry-leading research and development. Cemex is at the forefront of the circular economy in the construction value chain and is pioneering ways to increase the use of waste and residues as alternative raw materials and fuels in its operations with the help of new technologies. Cemex offers cement, ready-mix concrete, aggregates, and urbanization solutions in growing markets around the world, powered by a multinational workforce focused on providing a superior customer experience enabled by digital technologies. For more information, please visit: www.cemex.com

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