UltraTech joins LeadIT for low-carbon cement in India

UltraTech Cement joined LeadIT in New Delhi on 13 August 2026 to take part in international industrial decarbonisation work, according to CemNet.

CemNet’s article, dated 20 August 2026, places the move within a company with 205.5Mta of global grey cement capacity and a carbon-neutral concrete target for 2050.

LeadIT adds UltraTech in New Delhi

CemNet reported that the membership was announced at a LeadIT reception with government and non-government stakeholders in New Delhi. The initiative brings governments and companies together to support the transition of energy-intensive industries towards net-zero emissions.

E R Raj Narayanan, business head and chief manufacturing officer of UltraTech Cement, said the company would use its participation to support the transition to low-carbon cement and concrete through innovation and collaboration. Per Andersson, head of the LeadIT Secretariat, said UltraTech’s scale creates opportunities to drive innovation, develop new markets and increase international cooperation on industrial decarbonisation.

205.5Mta changes the scale of the commitment

The operating figure that defines the story is scale. CemNet reports that UltraTech has 205.5Mta of global installed grey cement capacity and describes it as India’s largest producer of cement, ready-mix concrete and white cement.

The decarbonisation strategy cited by CemNet includes energy efficiency, increased use of alternative fuels and raw materials, renewable energy and low-carbon technologies. The article does not report an investment, a specific plant or operating results from the LeadIT membership.

The Knergy Angle

For kiln operators, the practical value of a membership such as LeadIT depends on whether it reaches the clinker heat balance. The part of the strategy closest to pyroprocessing is the increased use of alternative fuels and raw materials. In an integrated line, raising TSR requires stable calciner combustion, control of AFR moisture and particle size, available oxygen and a sulphur or chlorine balance that does not close the operating window. Localised H₂/O₂ injection can accelerate the combustion kinetics of difficult fuels and supply oxygen at the point where the solid fuel burns, but CemNet does not report that UltraTech has installed that solution or that LeadIT includes a kiln pilot. The 205.5Mta figure turns any measurable thermal gain into an industrial-scale issue: useful engineering will connect international collaboration with flame tests, thermal substitution and clinker quality verified at plant level.

What UltraTech has not announced

UltraTech has not announced in CemNet’s article a date for an industrial pilot, implementation budget, technology contractor or CO₂ reduction results from this membership. The verifiable public commitment is its LeadIT participation and its corporate target of carbon-neutral concrete by 2050.