Under the auspices of Minister of Environment and Minister of Trade, Industry, small and medium interprises, HE Dr. Khaled Fahmy, Minister of Environment inaugurated INTERCEM Energy Forum for examining sustainable, environmentally secure energy options for cement production. This event took place from the 1st to 2nd of December 2014 at the Conrad hotel Cairo.
HE Dr. Khaled revealed that the environmental standards, regulations and terms for using coal in cement industry identified the period for coal usage from 2015 to 2030, while reviewing the international mechanism for its usage.
HE Fahmy revealed that the industrial sector is one of the largest and most important sectors of development in Egypt, and the development of this sector is a priority for the government which encourage a shift towards sustainable development. HE Fahmy highlighted that industry and environment are the two components for development, that’s why environmental considerations must be included within the priorities of industry.
This special forum gathered leading stakeholders from across the cement and energy sectors, government, and other interested parties, to provide a balanced and comprehensive discussion that explored all the energy options available during this transformational period in Egypt and the surrounding countries.
The IEE project in Egypt implemented by UNIDO participated in the event and Dr. Amr Osama Abdel-Aziz, IEE consultant presented “Energy Benchmarking Study for the Cement Sector in Egypt”, a study that has been prepared through the IEE project. Also the IEE project showed some promotional material to raise awareness of the project activities and services.
The cement industry is an extremely important contributor to the development of the Egyptian economy and it is vital that an economic and environmentally sustainable solution is found to fuelling it now, and in the future.