On 4 July 2025, the Decarbonisation in Industry component of the Thai-German Cooperation on Energy, Transport and Climate (TGC EMC), implemented by GIZ Thailand, organised a technical meeting to bring national and international experts together. The meeting focused on the development and application of energy demand flexibility and scenarios tailored to the Thai cement sector. This effort was aimed at supporting actions in the study report of ‘Transitioning Thailand’s Cement Industry Towards Carbon Neutrality’. Key partners included the Thailand Cement Manufacturers Association (TCMA), King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), and the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (Fraunhofer ISI) from Germany.

Surachai Vangrattanachai, Chair of the TCMA Working Group

Surachai Vangrattanachai, Chair of the TCMA Working Group, gave a presentation on the exploration of one of the decarbonisation paths for producing low-carbon hydrogen from bio-methanol by combining CO₂ from cement production with hydrogen derived from agricultural biomass. This approach is well-suited to Thailand’s agricultural landscape. The TCMA also shared plans to advance carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technologies to support long-term decarbonisation.

Manish Khanra, researcher from Fraunhofer ISI

Manish Khanra, a researcher from Fraunhofer ISI in Germany also emphasised the importance of integrating energy efficiency measures with long-term solutions such as hydrogen, alternative fuels and CCUS. He highlighted the role of energy demand flexibility and scenarios in shaping context-specific pathways and stressed the importance of evaluating abatement costs to guide cost-effective investment and robust policy implementation.

This technical meeting fostered valuable exchanges and laid the groundwork for actionable strategies supporting Thailand’s transition to a low-carbon industrial future.

Funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) under Germany’s Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), the TGC EMC project supports Thailand’s commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050. Through its five components – Renewable Energy, Transport, Decarbonisation in Industry, Biomass, and Climate Finance, TGC EMC facilitates technology transfer, policy development, and business model innovation through a sector-coupling approach.