HeidelbergCement aims to have the first carbon-neutral cement plant

HeidelbergCement has announced its intention to upgrade its plant on the Swedish island of Gotland to become the world’s first carbon-neutral cement plant. 

The installation at the Slite plant of HeidelbergCement’s subsidiary Cementa will be scaled to capture up to 1.8Mt of CO₂ annually, which corresponds to the plant’s total emissions. Additionally, the use of bio-based 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. 

Dr Dominik von Achten, chairman of the Managing Board of HeidelbergCement. said: "Key for decarbonising our industry is to find, apply and scale technical solutions for carbon capture and utilisation 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 carbon capture facility will be built next to the existing plant in Slite. The authorisation 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.