Germany-headed HeidelbergCement AG has announced that intends to upgrade the cement facility operated by its wholly-owned subsidiary Cementa AB in Slite on the Swedish island of Gotland to become the world’s first carbon-neutral cement plant. Up to 1.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) are to be captured annually from 2030 onwards, which corresponds to the plant’s total emissions.
According to a statement, the breakthrough project supports Sweden’s ambitious carbon emission reduction goals as three-quarters of the cement used for concrete production in the country are currently produced in Slite.
HeidelbergCement will significantly benefit from the experience gained in its carbon capture and storage (CCS) project at the Norcem AS cement plant in Brevik, Norway.
The installation at the Slite plant of HeidelbergCement’s subsidiary Cementa 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 biobased fuels in the cement production at Slite will be increased in line with the Group’s commitment to significantly raise the share of biomass in the fuel mix.
The full-scale capturing of the plant’s CO2 emissions is targeted by 2030.
HeidelbergCement will be the leader in the global cement industry on its transformation path towards climate neutrality. 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, said Dr Dominik von Achten, Chairman of the Managing Board of HeidelbergCement.
Builds on Norwegian CCS experience
The breakthrough project supports Sweden’s ambitious carbon emission reduction goals. The carbon capture facility will be built next to the existing plant in Slite, where 75 percent of the cement used for concrete production in Sweden is currently produced.
The regulatory authorization processes and the construction period are estimated to take just under ten years. 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.
The captured CO2 will be safely transported to a permanent storage site offshore several kilometres down in bedrock.
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 percent of the plant’s emissions from 2024 onwards.
Based on the positive collaboration with the Norwegian government and other partners at our site in Brevik, we have now chosen to significantly ramp up our ambitions for a carbon capture installation in Sweden that is four times larger, said Giv Brantenberg, General Manager of HeidelbergCement Northern Europe.
The planning for the plant in Slite will benefit significantly from the experience gained at Brevik.
