The parks will be in Alhandra, Souselas and Loulé, according to the cement company.

In response to Lusa, Cimpor did not reveal the value of the investment in photovoltaic parks, but added that the project is part of an investment package that could exceed €130 million over the next decade.

The project in question foresees the installation of one megawatt (MW) of power for self-consumption in each factory.

The installation is expected to be completed by the end of the year, and expansion to 10 MW is expected by 2025.

In total, 6,500 photovoltaic panels will be installed on approximately 3.5 hectares on the land of each factory, with an estimated annual electricity production capacity of 4.5 gigawatts per hour, avoiding the emission of 1,100 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year.

Cimpor is also preparing the installation, at the Alhandra and Souselas units, of two waste heat recovery units for the generation of electrical energy, with nearly eight megawatts of power.

According to the company, together with the photovoltaic parks, the objective is to autonomously generate 30% of energy needs and reduce indirect CO2 emissions by 30% as well.

Over the past three years, Cimpor has allocated €7.2 million for environmental investments to make its operations more sustainable.

"The photovoltaic project for the production of electricity in the three production units, among others in progress, is strategic to achieve the environmental objectives we set ourselves, in addition to reducing electrical consumption and optimizing production processes", said the executive chairman of Cimpor, Luís Fernandes.

In the document, Cimpor also noted that, in recent years, the use of alternative raw materials has increased, and last year it used around 150,000 tonnes, equivalent to just under 3% of the total raw materials consumed.

The company also wants to achieve a thermal replacement rate of 70% by 2030.