Year: 2021

If concrete were a country, it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases on Earth, behind only China and the United States. According to the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA), around 14 billion cubic metres of concrete are cast each year. How can this material, essential for global housing, construction and infrastructure, be made less damaging to the planet? – How bad can it be? – Cement is the most utilised material on Earth, consumed to make concrete at a rate of some 150 tonnes each second. Cement production alone accounts for as…

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With consumers bracing for an expected gas shortage during winter, furnace oil (FO) is poised to make a comeback for meeting the power generation needs of the country. Unlike last year, the gas crisis was likely to hit during peak winter (November and December), when the share of hydropower in the overall electricity generation mix declines considerably amid lower water supply, a research report of AKD Securities pointed out. Consequently, the shortfall in generation would likely be bridged through expensive FO-based generation, the report added. The country’s switching over to…

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A coal shortage is threatening the global economic recovery. Blackouts could spread from China and India to all the emerging economies still mostly reliant on coal. As supply can’t be ramped up in the near term, the shortages could worsen as energy demand rises with winter’s arrival. That may trigger another emerging-market crisis. The coal price has more than tripled in a year to near historical highs, while oil prices are halfway to their peak. The near-term trend is still up. As blackouts trigger a political backlash at home and domestic supply remains difficult…

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