US: The US Department of Energy may end the Industrial Demonstrations Program that aims to decarbonise hard-to-abate industries like cement, placing up to US$6bn in federal grants at risk, according to Canary Media. This includes an eventual US$500m in Heidelberg Materials North America’s Mitchell cement plant carbon capture project in Indiana. The project is reportedly at risk after 'significant' staff cuts at the Department of Energy.
The senior vice president of sustainability and public affairs for Heidelberg Materials North America, David Perkins, said that the company was ‘uncertain’ and that ‘coordination and communications [had] changed’. He added that the company is still submitting reports for the grant to the Department of Energy and exploring alternative funding sources.
