Nizak Mining Company, fully owned by Saudi -listed City Cement, has entered into a joint venture (JV) with UK-based low carbon supplementary cementitious material (SCM) producer Next Generation SCM to produce low carbon concrete in the Kingdom.

The JV will be the first producer of premium calcined clay SCM in Saudi Arabia, according to a joint press statement.

The statement didn’t disclose investment details but said the JV’s first factory will be built in Riyadh, with the aim to begin production by the third quarter of 2025. It will have an annual production target of 350,000 tonnes in the first year, and 700,000 tonnes in the second year.

The statement said the Next Generation SCM and City Cement JV will introduce Danish company CemGreen’s CemTower technology in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) market.

It said in Denmark, the technology is able to produce calcined clay while generating only 8 kilos of CO2 per tonne, which is a 99 percent reduction compared to the IEA average of 600 kilograms per tonne for cement. 

The statement also claimed that the use of premium calcined clay SCM made by the JV can reduce the carbon emissions from standardised concrete by up to 58 percent. Traditional alternatives to SCM include fly ash from coalfired energy production and slag from steel production, which are not produced locally in Saudi Arabia.

Neil Crompton, British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, commented: “This joint venture will be a first for Saudi Arabia, producing Sustainable Cementitious Materials that will contribute to a significant reduction in environmental emissions, and facilitate a Vision 2030 goal of sustainable infrastructure development for Saudi Arabia'. 

(Editing by Anoop Menon) (anoop.menon@lseg.com)

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