THE CHALLEHNGE
As part of Saudi Arabia’s long-term climate and industrial transformation agenda, the cement sector faced a complex dual challenge: aligning with national Net Zero ambitions by 2060 while maintaining cost competitiveness and industrial resilience.

The sector required a credible, data-driven decarbonization pathway, one that went beyond high-level ambition to address source-level emissions, production dynamics, investment requirements, and policy readiness across the full cement value chain. Achieving this demanded a sector-wide perspective, integrating technical feasibility, economic viability, and regulatory alignment over multiple time horizons.

THE SOLUTION
In 2024, A³&Co. collaborated with the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources to develop a comprehensive, sector-wide decarbonization roadmap for the Saudi cement industry, forming part of a broader national effort to align heavy industry with long-term sustainability and global climate commitments.

The engagement focused on a full-spectrum technical and economic assessment, including:

• Detailed carbon footprint analysis, covering Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions at source level
• Production and performance profiling, incorporating baseline operational data and industry trends
• Time-bound decarbonization pathways, identifying milestone targets, enabling technologies, and strategic interventions across multiple horizons to 2060
• Evaluation of more than 15 decarbonization levers, sequenced to align with productivity growth, regulatory developments, and capital efficiency
• Policy, governance, and regulatory assessment, including potential reforms, compliance mechanisms, and incentive structures to support sector-wide transition
• Economic and investment analysis, assessing capital requirements, long-term cost efficiencies, and value-creation opportunities through emissions reduction

The roadmap integrated customized modeling scenarios, cost-optimized pathways, and policy impact assessments to ensure feasibility, credibility, and scalability at a national level.

THE OUTCOMES
The final deliverable provided a clear, actionable strategic pathway for decarbonizing the cement sector while safeguarding economic competitiveness.

Key outcomes included:

• A structured national roadmap positioning the cement sector as a key enabler of Saudi Arabia’s Net Zero 2060 objectives
• Scenario-based emissions reduction pathways, supported by quantitative modeling and visual analysis
• A cost-optimized, multi-lever transition strategy, balancing emissions reduction with industrial growth
• Actionable insights for policymakers, industry leaders, and investors, enabling informed decision-making and coordinated execution
• A robust foundation for long-term industrial resilience, investment planning, and policy alignment

The roadmap equips stakeholders with the clarity and confidence required to drive a just, coordinated transition, reinforcing the cement sector’s strategic role in the Kingdom’s low-carbon industrial future.