Simon Willis, chief executive officer of Heidelberg Materials UK. Image: Heidelberg Materials UK
Heidelberg Materials UK has welcomed the government’s latest commitment to invest in carbon capture and storage (CCS) clusters.
The backing is set to include the HyNet North West decarbonisation cluster, which includes Heidelberg Materials UK’s Padeswood carbon capture and storage project near Mold in North Wales.
The company recently submitted a proposal to build a carbon capture plant adjacent to its Padeswood works. If approved, the plant would be the only facility of its kind in the UK, providing net zero building materials for major projects across the country.
“Our proposed carbon capture plant at Padeswood would capture up to 800,000 tonnes of the CO₂ produced per year during cement manufacture and enable the production of evoZero carbon captured net zero cement from the site as early as 2028,” Simon Willis, chief executive officer of Heidelberg Materials UK, said.
The Padeswood scheme is part of the HyNet North West decarbonisation cluster, which aims to create the world’s first low-carbon industrial cluster through the development of a hydrogen and carbon capture and storage (CCS) project. Carbon captured at Padeswood would be transported via the HyNet underground pipeline and stored safely under the seabed in Liverpool Bay.
CCS would help remove some of the related CO₂ emissions from the chemical process involved in making cement before they enter the atmosphere.
With this in mind, the company has affirmed the Government’s recent announcement to support carbon capture and storage cluster projects.
“The Government’s announcement to drive ahead with investment in carbon capture and storage clusters is a major milestone in the decarbonisation of UK industry and sets the construction sector on the path to net zero,” Willis said.
“The Government’s backing of this critical technology highlights that it is supportive of UK industry’s transition to a low carbon future and means that the production of zero carbon cement before the end of this decade takes a big step forward.
“The Government’s commitment also provides assurance that it is supportive of UK industry’s transition to a low carbon future – where the building materials we rely on to construct and maintain our homes, schools and hospitals and major infrastructure continue to be produced here. It will also secure and create highly skilled jobs for the future.”
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