HeidelbergCement to build carbon neutral plant to tackle emissions

The world's fourth-largest cement producer hopes to capture 1.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year at its Swedish plant in Slite, which would be its second large-scale carbon capture and storage facility.

The 1.8 million figure is more than four times the volume that the German firm intends to store underground from its first large carbon capture plant in Brevik, Norway, which received final government approval late last year.

Carbon capture, the process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide before it enters the atmosphere, is being promoted as a way to reduce pollution in industries like cement, which accounts for 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions.

It is also difficult to decarbonise cement production because approximately two-thirds of its emissions are caused by the calcination of limestone during the manufacturing process, which cannot be reduced using traditional methods such as fuel substitution.

Many pilot carbon capture projects are underway at cement companies, but the two Scandinavian projects are the industry's first large-scale ones to be announced.

However, before the Slite project can be realised, HeidelbergCement and the Swedish government must reach an agreement on financing.

Ibrahim Baylan, Sweden's minister for enterprise, stated that the cost of the site would be three or four times that of Brevik, estimated to be NKr3.3 billion ($397 million) for carbon capture, as part of a broader NKr25 billion investment that also includes transportation and storage.

Baylan stated that government support was not in the vicinity of the two-thirds financing offered by Norway for the Brevik carbon capture and storage project, which is scheduled to begin operations in 2024. They are initially providing financial support to the company, he explained.

Dominik von Achten, chair of HeidelbergCement's management board, believes the time has come to signal the company's willingness to increase its carbon-capture ambitions.

They are now confident that they can pull it off from a project management standpoint while also obtaining the appropriate balance of government financing.

Also read: HeidelbergCement introduces two new positions in Managing Board

Also read: Construction World?s fastest growing cement companies in India - 2020

Also read: World Cement Association launches Climate Partnership programme