Plant specific energy efficiency modeling and analysis of the Indian Cement Industry for robust policy implementation

The Perform-Achieve-Trade (PAT) mechanism is being implemented in India by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) under the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency. The PAT mechanism has proposed a methodology that will be used to measure various operational and performance parameters of Designated Consumers (DCs) comprising large cement plants and this will be followed by a base-lining computation. The Indian Cement Industry is the second largest in the world, and is projected to grow rapidly in step with the Indian economy. Many Indian cement plants are comparable to the global best in terms of Energy Efficiency (EE) and overall performance. However, there is a potential that exists to reduce energy intensity and associated emissions. The analysis presented in this paper will include the current status of the cement sector, factors governing energy efficiency and performance, plant specific operating parameters, levers for improving Specific Energy Consumption (SEC) and the various challenges faced by the cement sector DCs in improving their SEC. This paper also provides sample calculations on the above methodology of measurement and base-lining based on studies of typical cement plants and demonstrate the strong need for normalization of these models.