HeidelbergCement plans to upgrade subsidiary Cementa’s Slite plant in Sweden into the world’s first carbon-neutral cement plant by 2030.
Installation will be scaled to capture up to 1.8 million tonnes of CO2 annually, which corresponds to the plant’s total emissions. Additionally, the use of bio-based fuels in the plant’s cement production will be increased in line with the company’s commitment to significantly raise the share of biomass in the fuel mix.
“HeidelbergCement will be the leader in the global cement industry on its transformation path towards climate neutrality,” said Dr. Dominik von Achten, chairman of the managing board of HeidelbergCement. “Key for decarbonizing our industry is to find, apply and scale technical solutions for carbon capture and utilization or storage. After having gained valuable experience with CCU/S technologies in Norway and other countries, we are now excited to make the next step with a completely carbon-neutral cement plant in Sweden. This will be a game changer for our industry.”
The breakthrough project supports Sweden’s ambitious carbon emission reduction goals. A carbon capture facility will be built next to the existing plant in Slite, where three-quarters of the cement used for concrete production in Sweden is currently produced. The captured CO2 will be safely transported to a permanent storage site offshore several kilometers down in bedrock.
A feasibility study, which has already been launched, will address critical issues related to technology selection, environmental impact, legal issues, financing, logistics and energy supply.
HeidelbergCement is currently building the world’s first full-scale installation for carbon capture at the Brevik cement plant in Norway, capturing 400,000 tonnes annually or 50% of the plant’s emissions from 2024 onwards.
