A new solar power plant with an installed capacity of approximately 28.5 megawatts has been commissioned at Holcim Hungary’s cement facility in Királyegyháza, located in southwestern Hungary near Pécs. Developed by ID Energy Group, the plant is expected to provide nearly one-third of the electricity needed for the cement factory’s operations.
Holcim Hungary stated that this is the first solar power plant in the country built under a power purchase agreement (PPA) and also authorized to feed electricity into the national grid. Initial estimates suggest that the solar facility will supply around 30 percent of the cement plant’s energy requirements. The company also plans to pursue additional renewable energy projects in the future.
A subsidiary of the Switzerland-based Holcim Group, Holcim Hungary employs over 140 people and is actively engaged in addressing national waste management challenges while adapting to changing economic and industrial conditions. The company has committed to reaching carbon neutrality by 2040. As part of this effort, it is developing projects focused on recycling construction and demolition waste, expanding renewable energy usage, enhancing biodiversity at mining sites, and implementing carbon capture and storage technologies.
Since beginning operations in 2011, Holcim has invested roughly 11 million euros in environmental projects at the Királyegyháza site. This facility, Holcim’s only cement plant in Hungary, features modern technology and sources raw materials from its own clay and limestone mine in Bükkösd.
Despite legal and economic hurdles, Holcim Hungary has set ambitious goals for 2025. These include increasing local employment, supporting regional economic development, promoting the green transition in the construction industry, and ensuring the supply of low-carbon cement. In 2024, the company’s net sales revenue reached 113.5 million euros, up from 85 million euros in 2023. However, it also recorded a loss of 3.6 million euros during the same period.
