Sweden: Heidelberg Materials Sweden has said that it will ‘pause’ its carbon capture project at the Slite cement plant in Gotland after the Swedish Energy Agency rejected its application for co-financing under the Industrial Step programme. The producer said that the government is currently ‘not prepared’ to strategically prioritise funds for the project. The project aimed to reduce Sweden’s total CO₂ emissions by 1.8Mt/yr, or around 4% of the country’s total emissions. Heidelberg Materials said that, as production in Slite is not being given a way to adjust with secured long-term competitiveness, Sweden now risks becoming dependent on cement imports in the future and could face weakened security of supply.
Vice president Karin Comstedt Webb said “We have worked for a long time to implement one of the most powerful climate investments in Swedish industrial history with the aim of securing long-term competitiveness. But without the state's continued support for implementation, there are currently insufficient conditions to realise the project in Sweden.”
