Slite plant applies to rebuild harbour and enable CO2 transport

Heidelberg Materials is applying to the Swedish Land and Environment Court for an environmental permit to build one of Europe's largest carbon capture and storage (CCS) facilities for capturing CO₂ at the cement factory in Slite. The application also includes permission to rebuild Slite harbour to enable the transport of captured CO₂. Using bio-based fuels and CO₂ capture, the factory is retooled to produce cement with zero net emissions with the potential to create a significant carbon sink. The investment reduces Sweden's CO₂ emissions by four per cent.

This also includes a strong increase in the bio content of the fuel mix and continuing to develop climate-improved cement products on a large scale through new materials. Heidelberg Materials will combine CCS technology with a higher proportion of bio-based fuels than any other cement plant in Europe. Thanks to several innovations such as the introduction of a fully electrified amine-based capture process, zero discharge to water, a land-based compression and liquefaction technology and large-scale efficient energy recovery, the planned facility in Slite will be unparalleled in the industry.

"With the help of bio-based fuels, we reach beyond net zero and create a significant carbon sink," says Karin Comstedt Webb, vice president of Heidelberg Materials Sweden.

The captured CO₂ is converted from gas to liquid through cooling and pressurisation. It is then loaded onto purpose-built vessels with closed tanks for onward transport to sites for permanent geological storage. Several storage sites are under development in the North Sea that may be relevant for storing CO₂ from the Slite factory from 2030. To allow the ships that will transport the captured CO₂ to dock, the existing harbour and harbour entrance in Slite need to be widened and made deeper. A new pier will be built to ensure efficient logistics for the transports.

In 2030 Heidelberg Materials will produce cement with zero net emissions of CO₂ emissions, with conditions for negative emissions. Fully developed, the CCS plant in Slite will capture up to 1.8Mt of CO₂ annually, which today corresponds to four per cent of Sweden's total CO₂ emissions.