Indian cement makers deploys LNG trucks for transportation

JK Lakshmi Cement on December 28 said it had become India’s first cement company to deploy LNG trucks for transportation.

In a flag-off ceremony, held at the company’s Sirohi plant in the state of Rajasthan, a fleet of 10 LNG trucks left for the company’s grinding unit at Surat in the state of Gujarat.

“The company shall increase the fleet size of these LNG trucks substantially in the coming year,” it said.

JK Lakshmi Cement has entered into a strategic partnership with logistics company GreenLine for these LNG trucks for transportation. These LNG trucks are manufactured by Pune-based Blue Energy Motors, a start-up focused on developing LNG-fuelled trucks.

“We have taken multiple steps to reduce both direct and indirect carbon emissions. Deploying LNG trucks is our first step towards sustainable transportation as LNG is an excellent green alternative for fossil fuel that saves 35,000 kg CO₂ emissions per year per truck,” Arun Shukla, president & director, JK Lakshmi Cement, said. “This initiative will act as a game-changer for the country’s cement transportation industry and help facilitate the eventual transition towards a more circular economy.”

Truckmaker Iveco announced in September it had acquired a minority share in Blue Energy Motors. FPT Industrial, a powertrain arm of Iveco Group, in July signed an agreement with Blue Energy Motors to deploy the first LNG trucks on Indian roads.