Lord Callanan visits Padeswood to learn about our plans to create the UK’s first net zero cement works

We have signed a statement of principles with the UK Government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero for our planned carbon capture plant at Padeswood cement works in north Wales.

The agreement marks a milestone for the project, and we will now enter final negotiations with the UK Government with the aim of making a final decision by April 2025.

Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance Lord Callanan visited the site to hear first-hand about plans to upgrade the existing plant to become the UK’s first net zero cement works.

If the industry-leading project goes ahead, it would be the first facility of its kind in the UK and would set the UK’s construction industry on the path to net zero.

Our 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. 

Lord Callanan said: “By moving into final negotiations with the project at Padeswood, we are working to deliver our ambition of capturing carbon before it reaches the atmosphere and storing it safely underground, helping us achieve net zero.

“We’re backing the exciting potential of these technologies with £20 billion and companies like Heidelberg Materials are helping lead the way with plans to use carbon capture to cut UK emissions even further.”

CEO Simon Willis added: “We were delighted to welcome Lord Callanan to Padeswood and have the opportunity to showcase our plans for the site. 

“Once operational, it will provide net zero building materials for major projects across the country, enabling us to help decarbonise the construction industry and meet our ambitions to become a net zero business, while also securing the long-term future of hundreds of highly skilled jobs.”