Government’s announcement reaffirming commitment to carbon capture and storage cluster projects is a big step towards zero carbon cement

We have welcomed the Government’s announcement today to drive ahead with investment in carbon capture and storage (CCS) clusters, including the HyNet North West decarbonisation cluster – which takes in our Padeswood carbon capture and storage project near Mold in north Wales.

“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,” said CEO, Simon Willis.

“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.”

Cement is a key component of concrete, the most widely used building material in the world, but its production is carbon intensive. A large proportion of the related CO₂ emissions come from the chemical process involved in making cement. CCS means they would be removed by capturing them before they enter the atmosphere.

We recently submitted our proposals to build a carbon capture plant to capture up to 800,000 tonnes of CO₂ produced per year during cement manufacture adjacent to our Padeswood works to Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW). This followed extensive consultation as part of the statutory process. If approved, the plant would be only the 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 added.  

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 its 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.