Trial operations at Riyadh Cement’s waste heat recovery (WHR) project for electricity generation will begin in the second quarter of 2026, according to the company’s CEO Shoeil Al Ayed.

The cement producer signed a $34.8 million (SAR 130.5 million) contract in November 2023 with Sinoma Energy Conservation to build the 12.64-megawatt (MW) WHR project.

Full operations will start in the second half of 2026, leading to lower electricity consumption and operating costs, he told Al Arabiya.

The company had signed an SAR 85 million contract with Chengdu Design and Research Institute of Building Materials Industry Co. in December 2025 to build an electrical grid under the Ministry of Energy's Liquid Fuel Displacement Programme.

The project will enhance operational efficiency within factories, Al Ayed said.

The company will soon announce a 30 MW solar panel project, which is expected to reduce production costs, the CEO said.

(Editing by Anoop Menon) (anoop.menon@lseg.com)

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