Displaying items by tag: Heidelberg Materials

Germany: Heidelberg Materials increased its revenue by €51m, representing 1%, year-on-year to €5.81bn in the third quarter of 2025, while its result from current operations (RCO) rose by €54m, or 5%, to €1.18bn. The company expects full-year RCO to be €3.3-3.5bn. Specific net CO₂ emissions per tonne of cementitious material are projected to decline slightly compared to 2024.

Chair of the managing board Dr Dominik von Achten said "We continued our growth trajectory in the third quarter of 2025, despite ongoing political and economic uncertainties. Our uncompromising focus on active price and cost management in all group areas contributed significantly to improving our result and further expanding our profitability in the third quarter.” He added “We remain confident about the year as a whole. Based on the business development to date, we confirm our positive outlook for 2025.”

Europe: The EU Innovation Fund has selected four of Heidelberg Materials’ carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) projects for grant agreement preparation under its Net-Zero Technologies Call. Selected projects were assessed in terms of their potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, their degree of innovation, project maturity, replicability and cost efficiency. The selected projects are Anthemis in Belgium, AirvaultGOCO₂ in France, DREAM in Italy, and HuCCSar in Poland.

The Anthemis project in Belgium will equip the Antoing clinker plant with an oxyfuel carbon capture unit capable of capturing over 95% of the plant’s emissions, or more than 800,000t/yr of CO₂. The company also plans to transport and permanently store the captured CO₂. The AirvaultGOCO₂ project in France will capture nearly 1Mt/yr of CO₂ at the Airvault cement plant and transport it to permanent storage under the North Sea. The DREAM project in Italy will capture around 1Mt/yr of CO₂ from the Rezzato-Mazzano cement plant for storage in the Ravenna CCS hub beneath the Adriatic Sea. The HuCCSar project in Poland will develop the country’s first onshore CCS value chain and validate local CO₂ storage potential.

Chair of the managing board Dr Dominik von Achten said “This is a great day for the company and for the decarbonisation of the cement industry in Europe. The support from the Innovation Fund is a strong vote of confidence for our approach and our projects. Today’s milestone confirms that we are on the right track with the next chapters of our journey – building on the successful launch of our Brevik CCS project in Norway and the recent Final Investment Decision for Padeswood CCS in the UK.”

Member of the managing board Jon Morrish said “The selected projects in four of our European core markets are important drivers of innovation. We call on the four member states – France, Belgium, Italy and Poland – to work closely with us to enable the right framework conditions in order for us to reach Final Investment Decision for these projects. This will allow our customers to access carbon captured near-zero products under our evoZero brand at much larger scale.”

Europe: Germany-based Heidelberg Materials has begun deliveries of EvoZero carbon-captured cement to customers across Europe. Subsidiary Heidelberg Materials Northern Europe produces EvoZero cement at its net-zero Brevik cement plant in Norway. Early adopters to purchase the product include Sweden-based Skanska for its construction of the Skøyen metro station in Oslo, Norway.

Heidelberg Materials launched a 400,000t/yr, 50% carbon capture and storage (CCS) plant at the Brevik plant on 18 June 2025. The plant’s capture and storage data are verified by certification organisation DNV Business Assurance Germany and digitally recorded in Heidelberg Materials' proprietary Carbon Bank.

CEO Dr Dominik von Achten said "I am proud and pleased that the entire process chain is now in place and that our CCS plant in Brevik is now directly contributing to the reduction of CO₂ emissions in construction. EvoZero is proof of our commitment to driving real measurable decarbonisation and leading the transformation of the construction industry."

Germany/Norway: Heidelberg Materials will supply its EvoBuild 3D printing concrete for use in property developer KrausGruppe’s DreiHaus residential construction project in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg. PERI 3D Construction and Korte-Hoffmann Gebäudedruck will execute the project, which consists of three three-storey tower blocks.

Heidelberg Materials says that it will supply a concrete blend featuring its EvoZero carbon-captured cement for the third tower block, the first application of the product in Germany. Subsidiary Heidelberg Materials Northern Europe produces EvoZero cement at its net-zero Brevik cement plant in Norway.

Norway/Germany: Heidelberg Materials has officially launched its evoZero product, which the company claims to be the world's first ‘carbon-captured cement,’ to customers across Europe. evoZero is a globally unique product, made possible by carbon capture technology at Heidelberg Materials' CCS plant in Brevik, Norway. The product comes with a uniquely low Global Warming Potential, delivered via a process that is now fully third-party verified by DNV Business Assurance Germany and digitally traceable to ensure seamless transparency.

One of the very first deliveries of evoZero was to the construction of the new Skøyen Station in Oslo, Norway. Another early project for evoZero is the DREIHAUS 3D-printing project, with a total of three houses currently being developed in Heidelberg, Germany. Compared to traditional construction methods, the 3D printing process enables significantly reduced material consumption through optimised design, further reducing CO₂ emissions.
Dominik von Achten, CEO of Heidelberg Materials, said "I am proud and excited to announce that the entire process chain is now established and our Brevik CCS facility is directly contributing to the reduction of carbon emissions in the built environment. evoZero stands as proof of Heidelberg Materials' commitment to real, measurable decarbonisation and our ambition to lead the transformation of construction.”

France: Heidelberg Materials has launched a new range of its Socli lime product that contains hemp. The product is available in two binder and two coating formulations that combine natural hydraulic lime and plant fibres. Formulated for hempcrete bio-based concrete applications, on vertical walls or for insulating intermediate floors, its high lime content increases durability, according to the producer.

Heidelberg Materials says that the Socli lime range is especially suited to the restoration of historic buildings, as it guarantees breathable walls and healthy indoor air, and prevents mould, while providing thermal and acoustic insulation. The absence of cement further increases hygrometric regulation and thermal insulation.

Heidelberg Materials announced this week that it had received the funding clearance to build a carbon capture and storage (CCS) unit at its Padeswood cement plant in Cymru (also known as Wales). Construction on the project will start later in 2025 with net zero cement production expected in 2029. The upgrade will be the group’s first full-scale carbon capture facility. It will capture around 0.8Mt/yr of CO₂ at the site or around 95% of the CO₂ emissions from the process. As the captured emissions will also include biogenic CO₂ from biomass fuels - including domestic food, wood and paper wastes - cement produced at the plant could potentially be net negative.

Just like Heidelberg Material’s first large-scale CCS project at the Brevik cement plant in Norway, the work at Padeswood is part of a larger government-backed decarbonisation cluster. In this case it’s the HyNet North West project. Captured CO₂ from Padeswood will be transported via an underground pipeline for storage under the seabed in Liverpool Bay. The wider cluster will also produce, transport and store hydrogen. A waste-to-energy company Encyclis also announced this week that it had also agreed terms with the government for its Protos CCS project.

It is worth noting the differences between Heidelberg Material’s first two large-scale CCS projects. Padeswood, like Brevik, will use an amine-based carbon capture system but the technology is likely to be provided by a different supplier. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and Worley were awarded the contract for the Front End Engineering Design (FEED) phase of the project in 2024 with the intention of using MHI’s Advanced KM CDR Process. The funding model is also different for Padeswood. In Norway the original estimate was that over three-quarters of the carbon capture unit would be paid for using state aid and over two-thirds of the funding for the transport and storage of CO₂ would come from the government. Large sums of government grant funding could be seen entering Heidelberg Materials’ balance sheet in 2024 for example. By contrast, Heidelberg Materials says it has agreed a ‘contract for difference’ (CFD) with the UK government. Under the terms of this contract the cement company will provide the upfront investment to build the project and will also be responsible for any additional costs over the agreed contract price. The CFD will likely track the carbon price in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).

The wider picture is that the UK government allocated just under €25bn in late 2024 towards two decarbonisation clusters with the funding to be made available over 25 years. However, the completion date for the Padeswood CCS of 2029 is, coincidentally, the latest year by which the next UK parliamentary election could be held. The incumbent Labour party is currently behind in the polls to the populist Reform UK party. The deputy leader of the latter said that his party would cut all "net stupid zero" policies if they entered government. It is likely that the arrangement between Heidelberg Materials and the UK government is legally binding for decades to come with provision for all sorts of eventualities. Yet readers may recall the decision by the second Trump administration in the US to cancel funding for various carbon capture projects including at least one cement project. There is also opposition from various groups in the UK to carbon capture generally and from some groups to HyNet specifically. HyNot, for example, applied for a judicial review in August 2025 challenging the government’s decision to allow Italy-based Eni to store carbon dioxide in Liverpool Bay.

Another issue is that UK cement production dropped to 7.3Mt in 2024, the lowest level since 1950. The impending carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), due in 2027, should help local producers fight off imports but if the market stays down then the production base may need to be rationalised. A cement plant with a new CCS unit linked to the government’s flagship decarbonisation cluster doesn’t seem an obvious choice for closure anytime soon though.

From here it’s all about building new carbon capture projects at different cement plants in different locations with different technologies and so on to determine what works and what doesn’t. A major part of this phase is deciding what kind of government involvement fits and trying it out over the coming years. To end, a CCS project in the north of the UK is poignant given that the Industrial Revolution started here in the late 18th Century. ‘Pob lwc’ (good luck) to all concerned!

UK: Heidelberg Materials has reached a Final Investment Decision (FID) with the UK Government for its carbon capture and storage (CCS) project at the Padeswood cement works in north Wales, clearing the way for construction to begin later in 2025.

Energy Minister Michael Shanks announced the decision today, which will enable Heidelberg Materials to produce net-zero cement by 2029. The project will capture around 0.8Mt/yr of CO₂, approximately 95% of emissions from the cement works, and transport them via pipeline for storage under Liverpool Bay as part of the HyNet North West project.

Simon Willis, CEO of Heidelberg Materials UK, said “Our constructive partnership with the UK Government has allowed us to reach this major milestone, which is fantastic news, not just for us, but for the industry as a whole. Our new facility at Padeswood will be a world-leader. It will allow us to produce evoZero carbon captured net zero cement, which will help the UK construction industry reach its decarbonisation aims.”

The project is expected to create 50 new jobs, and generate up to 500 more during construction. It is the UK’s first full-scale CCS project for cement and follows Heidelberg Materials’ recent success in Norway, where it launched the world’s first carbon capture facility at its Brevik cement plant in June 2025. Here, 50% of the plant’s emissions are being captured as part of the Norwegian government’s Longship programme.

The UK-based Mineral Products Association (MPA) has celebrated this step, with Dr Diana Casey, Executive Director for Energy and Climate Change, Cement and Lime, saying “The green light for the UK’s first carbon capture-enabled cement plant at Padeswood is a landmark step on the road to decarbonising our domestic cement industry – it will safeguard existing skilled jobs and create new opportunities too. Public investment in this project provides a strong vote of confidence in the technology and recognises the vital role cement plays in supporting economic growth while delivering on the transition to net zero. Decarbonising heavy industry is not only essential for meeting climate goals, but also for securing the future of communities across the country – today’s announcement delivers on both.”

There have been a few burner and related stories to note in the cement industry news this week. Firstly, Canada-based PyroGenesis announced that it had signed a deal with an unnamed-European cement company to supply a plasma torch system for a ‘calcination furnace.’ Around the same time UBE Mitsubishi Cement (MUCC) revealed that it had successfully tested natural gas co-firing at MUCC’s Kyushu Plant using a newly developed burner.

The PyroGenesis project is a potential game-changer for the sector because it alters the way cement production lines are heated. Roughly one third of CO₂ emissions associated with cement manufacture arise from the fossil fuels used to heat the kiln and the pre-calcination system. Cut out some of that and the specific CO₂ emissions of cement production drop. PyroGenesis’ approach uses electricity to generate high-temperature plasma. This then gives the cement plant the option of obtaining its electricity from renewable sources. PyroGenesis signed a memorandum of understanding with the power conversion division of GE Vernova in March 2025. This had the aim of targeting high temperature processes, such as cement production, with electric plasma torches. The current deal with a cement producer has been valued at US$871,000 with delivery to the client scheduled for the first quarter of 2026.

We don’t know who the mystery client might be. However, Heidelberg Materials reportedly operated a 300kW plasma-heated cement kiln at its Slite cement plant in February 2025 as part of the ELECTRA project. The producer said it had achieved 54 hours of continuous operation, with 60% CO₂ concentration in the flue gas. The aim was to reach 99%. It then said that it was planning to build a larger 1MWel furnace at its Skövde cement plant in 2026 with tests to continue in 2027. In an interview with Global Cement Magazine in May 2025, Heidelberg Materials said that it was using commercially supplied CO₂ as the ionising gas in the plasma generator but that it was considering using captured CO₂ from the production process in the future. It also mentioned issues from its trials such as the effective ‘flame’ being hotter than the conventional process but not as long. This increased the reactivity of the resulting clinker. Finally, Heidelberg Materials noted from a feasibility study that a 1Mt/yr cement plant would need around 170MW of plasma generation, but that typical plasma generators topped out at around 8MW. Hence, any full set-up would likely require multiple plasma generators. For more on non-combustion style kilns see GCW561.

UBE Mitsubishi Cement’s burner installation is more conventional but again it is concerned about sustainability. In this case the line has tested burning natural gas. The cement producer says it is the first such installation at a cement plant in Japan to do so commercially. The burner was jointly developed by UBE Mitsubishi Cement, Osaka Gas and Daigas Energy. Firstly, the plant will consider switching to natural gas. This will reduce the unit’s CO₂ emissions from fuel combustion. However, a later step being considered is to move on to e-methane. This is a synthetic methane made from CO₂ and hydrogen using renewable energy.

Finally, another recent story on this theme is the installation of a new satellite burner by Northern Ireland-based Mannok at its Derrylin cement plant in August 2025. This is Phase One of a two-part project to upgrade the pyro kiln system at the site. The cement company worked with FLSmidth on the €2.5m upgrade. The new burner has now allowed the plant to burn solid recovered fuel (SRF) by up to a 30% substitution rate in the kiln. This followed a project, also with FLSmidth, to install a FuelFlex Pyrolyzer in 2022. This is used to replace coal with SRF in the pre-calcination stage of cement production. Phase two will be an upgrade of the main burner to a new Jetflex burner. Once this part is completed, Mannok is aiming for an overall substitution rate of 65 - 70% on the whole pyro-processing system.

Burners at cement plants are replaced fairly commonly. However, the supplier companies don’t advertise every installation due to the commercial relationships with their clients and other factors. Hence the more interesting upgrades tend to get the publicity. Typically this means if a burner uses new technology, meets sustainability goals and so on, we find out about it. It’s a similar situation when a new heating technology such as plasma is trialled. Changing trends in fuel types for cement plants suggest different types of conventional burners. Some of this can be seen in the burner stories above with the trend moving towards ever higher rates of alternative fuels usage. Combustion in cement kilns is here to stay for the time being but plasma trials will be watched carefully.

The 18th Global CemFuels Conference & Exhibition on alternative fuels for cement and lime 2025 will take place in Milan on 17 - 18 September 2025

India: Kanodia Cement has appointed Anurag Srivastava as its CEO, according to the Economic Times newspaper.

Srivastava started his career in telecoms before joining Jaiprakash Associates in 2010. He later became the Business Unit Head - Sales & Marketing for Heidelberg Materials in central India in 2015 before joining Wonder Cement in 2017. He became the Executive Vice President (S&M) at Wonder Cement in 2022. Srivastava holds a PhD in Business, Management, Marketing and Related Drivers from the Faculty of Management Studies and a master’s of business administration from the Indian Institute of Management.