Turkish Cement and Cement Products Assembly Holds its First Meeting in 2023

Turkish Cement and Cement Products Assembly of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) held its first meeting in 2023 on January 30. Chaired by TOBB Board Member Şaban A. Karamehmetoğlu and Assembly President Fatih Yücelik, the meeting was attended by the senior representatives of the public sector, NGOs, and private sector.

In his opening speech, TOBB Board Member Şaban A. Karamehmetoğlu said that energy costs, disruptions in the market, obligations regarding green transformation, and the harmonization process are on the agenda of the industry. He stated that he was happy to see the representatives of public agencies at the meeting for consultations with the assembly’smembers. Following his opening address, TOBB Board Member Şaban A. Karamehmetoğlu discussed the current situation in the industry.

Fatih Yücelik, President of the Assembly, commented on 2022 data regarding foreign trade, production, and sales of the sector and shared expectations for 2023. Stating that industrialists are faced with cost-increasing factors, especially energy costs, as a result of the developments in Ukraine, Yücelik emphasized that the cement industry is also seriously affected by this trend. Noting that changes in energy costs and exchange rates directly affect the production processes of the industry, Yücelik stated that it was maintaining its contributions to the 2053 net zero emission target and green development policies.

Ali Çelik, adiviser to the President of Turkish Energy, Nuclear and Mining Research Council (TENMAK), provided background information about the Council and its activities.  The contents of the requests for proposals regarding projects put out to tender by the Council were shared with the members of the Assembly and discussions were held on potential partnerships.

Dr. Ömer Erdem, Director-General for Energy Affairs from the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, provided information on the “Turkey National Energy Plan” published on January 19, 2023.  Erdem commented on the position and key role of the cement industry, which is one of the energy-intensive sectors, in this plan, which provides projections on many topics such as primary energy production, electricity consumption, and renewable energy production for the period from 2020 to 2035.

Developments related to the draft Climate Law were shared by representatives from the Climate Change Presidency of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change. In addition, information was provided regarding taxonomy studies carried out in Turkey regarding financing of climate change.