Displaying items by tag: CCS

UK: The government has announced a €26.3bn investment to develop carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects in northern England. The investment will subsidise three projects to capture CO₂ from various sources, including Heidelberg Materials’ Padeswood cement plant, and support infrastructure for transporting and storing CO₂ in Liverpool Bay and the North Sea. The initiative also plans to establish the UK's first large-scale hydrogen production plant. The funding, promised over the next 25 years, aims to establish two carbon capture clusters in Merseyside and Teesside. The investment is expected to create ‘thousands’ of jobs, attract €9.5bn in private investment and advance the UK's climate objectives.

Heidelberg Materials UK CEO Simon Willis said “Today’s announcement from the government to drive ahead with investment in CCS clusters is a major milestone in the decarbonisation of UK industry and sets the construction sector on the path to net zero. As part of the HyNet North West decarbonisation cluster, we are bringing forward our plans for the CCS plant at a UK cement works at Padeswood in North Wales. The government’s backing of this critical technology means that the production of zero carbon cement before the end of this decade has taken a big step forward.”

Italy: Heidelberg Materials has launched a feasibility study at its Rezzato-Mazzano cement plant to explore a source-to-sink carbon capture and storage (CCS) solution, potentially making it the first in Italy to produce carbon-captured net-zero cement, according to the company’s press release. The aim of the study is to evaluate the feasibility of capturing CO₂ from cement production and transporting it via pipeline to the Ravenna CCS storage hub under the Adriatic Sea. Phase 1 of the Ravenna CCS project will be carried out with the help of a joint venture between Italy-based integrated energy company Eni and energy infrastructure subsidiary Snamprogetti, involving discussions between the three companies for a technical evaluation. The project aims to leverage Eni’s depleted gas fields in the Adriatic Sea, which would be converted for use as permanent CO₂ storage sites. The total storage capacity of these fields is estimated at more than 500Mt. Snam is committed to developing a pipeline network to transport CO₂ from emitters to the Ravenna CCS hub.  

Chair of the managing board of Heidelberg Materials, Dominik von Achten, said "We are excited to explore the economic feasibility of a carbon capture initiative in the Mediterranean. Our ambition at Heidelberg Materials is not only to implement a decarbonisation initiative that is highly efficient in terms of resources and energy, but also to provide an important impetus for the development of a regional CCS cluster."

Member of the managing board of Heidelberg Materials and responsible for Europe, Jon Morrish, said "With an aspired capture rate of more than 95% of our plant’s emissions, this initiative aims to explore options for industrial-scale CCS in Italy. This would enable us to supply locally produced, carbon captured net-zero cement under our evoZero brand to customers in the region."

Spain: Votorantim Cimentos and gas company Enagás have signed an agreement to jointly develop projects for the sustainable management of CO₂. Votorantim Cimentos will focus on CO₂ capture technology at its cement plants, while Enagás will explore solutions for the transport, liquefaction, storage and loading of CO₂ at its regasification terminals. The partnership also includes potential joint applications for European funding to further these initiatives.

Enagás CEO Arturo Gonzalo said "Enagás and Votorantim Cimentos have clear synergies to jointly advance their commitments to reduce their carbon footprint and, based on the knowledge of their areas of activity, they have the opportunity to take the initiative to develop more effective sustainable CO₂ management technologies, which will be key to achieving the decarbonisation objectives of Spain and Europe.”

Sweden: Heidelberg Materials' Slite CCS project in Gotland has received new funding. The Just Transition Fund has provided approximately €6.1m to support project preparation from 2024 to 2026, aiming for operational readiness by 2030. The project targets the creation of a fully decarbonised plant with the capacity to capture 1.8Mt/yr of CO₂, potentially reducing Sweden's total emissions by 4%.

Japan: Taiheiyo Cement, ITOCHU, Nippon Steel, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, INPEX, Taisei, and ITOCHU Oil Exploration have been chosen by the Japan Organisation for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) to lead the engineering design work for key carbon capture and storage (CCS) initiatives. This selection marks a step towards Japan's ambitious goals to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and a 46% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from financial year 2013 (FY13) levels by FY30.

The project encompasses front end engineering design (FEED) and appraisal drilling as critical next steps following a comprehensive feasibility study conducted in FY23. This prior study involved detailed assessments of CO₂ separation, capture, transportation and storage processes. The CCS initiative involves shipping CO₂ captured at Nippon Steel’s Kyushu Works in the Oita area and Daiichi Cement's Kawasaki plant, part of the Taiheiyo Cement Group, to designated storage sites.

US: Heidelberg Materials North America has finalised award negotiations with the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations. The Mitchell cement plant in Indiana will receive US$300,000 to begin the first phase of its decarbonisation project, part of a broader initiative of up to US$500m in DOE funding to support full-scale carbon capture, transport and storage developments. The Mitchell cement plant has tripled its previous production capacity, with this project aiming to capture and process about 2Mt/yr of CO₂.

Chris Ward, president and CEO of Heidelberg Materials North America, said "This critical milestone of bringing our project under award with the US Department of Energy is a significant step in building the first full-scale application of carbon capture and storage for the cement industry in the US.”

Canada: Canada-based carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) company Carbon Upcycling has been admitted to the Portland Cement Association (PCA). This new membership aims to support industry efforts to achieve carbon neutrality. The US Department of Energy previously announced over US$1.2bn in funding for PCA member companies to launch decarbonisation projects under recent federal initiatives. Carbon Upcycling has been developing a commercial CCS system at CRH’s cement plant in Mississauga.

PCA president and CEO Mike Ireland said "We are thrilled to have Carbon Upcycling join us as a member of the PCA, given our shared commitment to sustainability. Their efforts are helping the cement industry increase circularity and advance the industry's commitment to achieving carbon neutrality."

CEO of Carbon Upcycling Apoorv Sinha said "The most effective and credible pathway to decarbonising the cement industry is through strategic partnerships and collaboration with long-time industry leaders in the infrastructure sector. Joining the PCA underscores our commitment to advance sustainable practices and substantially reduce carbon emissions. We look forward to forging a low-carbon, resilient future with our fellow members."

Croatia: Holcim Croatia's €237m 'KOdeCO' project has been declared a strategic investment by Croatia. This will reportedly make Holcim the first producer of carbon-neutral cement in Croatia and one of the first in Europe, according to a press release by the company.

In January 2024, Holcim Croatia began implementing the carbon capture and storage project at the cement plant in Koromačno, signing a contract with the European Climate, Infrastructure, and Environment Executive Agency and securing a grant from the EU Innovation Fund totalling €117m. The project will reduce annual CO₂ emissions by 367,000t/yr.

Australia: Woodside Energy and Cemex have invested US$6.7m in Melbourne-based KC8 Capture Technologies to support its efforts in achieving net zero emissions via carbon capture and storage.

KC8 is partnering with Cement Australia to construct a commercial demonstration plant in Gladstone, Queensland, aiming to capture 15t/day of CO₂. A partnership with Cemex aims to capture over 100t/day of CO₂ at one of its major plants. Additionally, KC8 plans a commercial pilot at the US Department of Energy’s National Carbon Capture Centre to capture 10-15t/day of CO₂ from natural gas combustion flue gas. The initiative has also secured US$6m from Low Emission Technology Australia and US$11.26m from the US government.

Executive director Greg Ross said "The funds will be used to expand KC8’s team and expedite deployment of its technology into hard-to-abate industries, such as cement – through a number of key projects."

UK: Heidelberg Materials has announced the launch of a public consultation for its carbon capture and storage (CCS) project at Padeswood Cement Works. The consultation, which runs from 2 July - 12 August 2024, will gather public input on the proposed plans to install the CCS technology, which will capture up to 800,000t/yr of CO₂, according to local news reports.

The Padeswood CCS project is expected to create over 400 jobs and forms part of the HyNet North West initiative, a major industrial decarbonisation effort that includes constructing a 60km pipeline to transport CO₂ to depleted gas reservoirs in Liverpool Bay for storage.