Calix has confirmed that the Leilac-2 carbon capture project, which was to be installed at Heidelberg Materials’ Hanover plant in Germany, will now be constructed at the cement producer’s Ennigerloh plant, also in Germany. The decision to move the project was the result of Heidelberg Materials opting to end clinker production at the Hanover facility. 

The Leilac-2 project aims to demonstrate a replicable module that can efficiently capture up to 100,000tpa of unavoidable process CO2 emissions released during cement and lime production. The retrofittable module is designed to be integrated into an operational cement plant with minimal downtime and operate on a range of fuels. 

Following Heidelberg Materials’ decision to end clinker production in Hanover, Calix’s subsidiary, Leilac Ltd, Heidelberg Materials and IKN, a Leilac-2 project partner, conducted detailed technical and financial assessments of alternative sites for the project, resulting in the selection of the Ennigerloh cement plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, as the new host plant.

The Leilac-2 project has already delivered a robust detailed design ready for construction. The Ennigerloh site assessment found that the Leilac-2 design developed for the Hanover plant could be installed at the operational Ennigerloh plant with minimal delay and cost. The required additional engineering work is expected to be limited to site-specific permitting and integration and no increase in total project capital cost is expected.

According to Calix, construction of Leilac-2 at Ennigerloh based on the existing engineered design is targeted to begin promptly following the conclusion of the permitting process.