Norway Picks HeidelbergCement for World's First Carbon Capture Project at a Cement Plant

The Norwegian government recently proposed to the Norwegian parliament to launch the carbon capture project at the HeidelbergCement Norcem cement plant of Brevik, Norway.

With 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) to be captured annually and transported for permanent storage, HeidelbergCement is planning to launch the first industrial-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) project at a cement production facility in the world at Brevik. The proposition of the Norwegian government is the second last step in the approval process for the project. As the final step, the Norwegian parliament is expected to sign the budget until the end of 2020.

“We are very pleased with the proposal of the Norwegian government,” says Dominik von Achten, chairman of the managing board of HeidelbergCement. “This allows us to continue the pioneering work that we started together with our partners in Brevik. The carbon capture and storage project in Norway is an important cornerstone in our climate strategy. It will enable us to significantly reduce otherwise unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions related to the cement production process.”

Giv Brantenberg, general manager HeidelbergCement Northern Europe and chairman of the board of Norcem says, “We have been developing this project since the first desktop studies in 2005 and have interacted well over many years with the Norwegian authorities and our supportive partners. We are proud and honored that we may soon initiate the building of the world’s first full-scale carbon capture plant in the cement industry”.

The Norwegian government shortlisted Brevik for an industrial-scale CO₂ capture trial at the beginning of 2018. Last year, a memorandum of understanding on the capture and storage (CCS) of CO₂ was signed by HeidelbergCement and the state-owned Norwegian energy Group Equinor. The project funding is largely supported by the Norwegian government.

HeidelbergCement has committed itself to reduce its specific net CO₂ emissions per ton of cementitious material by 30% compared to 1990 by 2025. This figure had previously only been targeted for 2030. To achieve this, the company has defined concrete CO₂ reduction measures for all plants worldwide. HeidelbergCement aims to reach its vision of carbon-neutral concrete by 2050 at the latest.