Cement is a 'hard-to-abate' sector. Examine the technological and policy pathways for decarbonising India's cement industry consistent with its 2070 net-zero commitment.

Cement is called hard-to-abate because about 55% of its emissions come from limestone calcination (CaCO₃ → CaO + CO₂). Clean electricity cannot remove these emissions [1]. India's output is projected to grow nearly sevenfold, from 391 Mt (2023) to ~2,100 Mt by 2070 [1]. Net zero is therefore possible only if technology and policy work together.

Technological pathways

• Clinker substitution: Ordinary Portland Cement is more than 95% clinker. Blended cements replace part of it with fly ash or slag. LC3 (Limestone Calcined Clay Cement) uses about 50% clinker, has a BIS standard (IS 18189:2023) and cuts CO₂ by up to 30% [1].
• Alternative fuels: burning refuse-derived fuel (RDF) in kilns cuts fuel-combustion emissions (~33% of the sector's total) and also helps with urban waste disposal [1].
• Efficiency and clean power: waste-heat recovery and renewable power address the ~12% of emissions that come from electricity [1].
• CCUS (carbon capture, utilisation and storage): this is the only route for the remaining calcination emissions. Cutting intensity from 0.63 to 0.09–0.13 tCO₂e per tonne depends on it [1].

Policy pathways

• Carbon pricing: the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS) was developed by the Ministry of Power (through the Bureau of Energy Efficiency) and MoEFCC [3]. Cement was among the first four sectors given emission-intensity targets (October 2025). Plants that beat their targets earn tradable Carbon Credit Certificates [2].
• Tighter targets: CCTS limits emissions per tonne, not total emissions. Publishing progressively stricter targets well in advance would give firms a reason to invest in LC3 and CCUS.
• Green public procurement: CPWD and state PWD tenders should accept blended cement and LC3, giving these products steady early demand.
• Climate finance: NITI Aayog estimates $22.7 trillion of investment is needed by 2070. Frontier technologies like carbon capture will need grants and blended finance [4].
• Waste governance: segregating municipal waste at source makes RDF supply reliable.
• Trade readiness: carbon border measures such as the EU's CBAM make a credible domestic carbon price strategically useful.

Calcination (55%) → Clinker substitution + CCUS
Fuel (33%)        → RDF + efficiency
Electricity (12%) → Renewable power, waste-heat recovery
         ↘ all priced and tracked through CCTS ↙

Fig.: Matching each emission source to its lever

Overall, cement can be decarbonised only through a sequence: efficiency and clinker substitution now, then CCUS at scale, all supported by stricter carbon pricing and planned finance. Following NITI Aayog's Viksit Bharat and Net Zero scenarios [5] would let India build its infrastructure for 2047 while meeting its Panchamrit pledge of net zero by 2070, in line with SDGs 9 and 13.