The government of Canada has just announced a partnership with German multinational HeidelbergCement for the installation of carbon capture.
The $1.36-billion project will yield what has been dubbed North America’s first carbon-neutral cement thanks to the full-scale carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) system described in the agreement.
The deal will see Heidelberg’s cement facility in Edmonton, Canada, be equipped with a CCUS system, which will capture up to 1 million metric tons of CO2 per year – roughly the same as removing 300,000 passenger cars from the road annually.
In his statement on the recent partnership between Canada and HeidelbergCement, Industry Minister Francoise-Philippe Champagne said: “There is a growing urgency for rapid decarbonization in high-emitting sectors, including the cement and concrete industry.”
Champagne added that carbon capture is a critical tool necessary to help mitigate the climate crisis.
Particularly in cement production, which is a notoriously emissions-intensive and hard-to-abate sector, carbon capture is of the utmost importance, as the nascent technology can help reduce carbon dioxide emissions from such processes by up to 95%.
Relevant: Sublime Systems Raises $40M In Funding For Revolutionary Zero Emissions Cement
If the project is successful, the Edmonton plant will be the first of its kind in North America to start manufacturing carbon-neutral cement.
The emissions from Heidelberg’s operations in Edmonton will be stored in the Open Access Wabamun Carbon Hub, which is currently being developed by Canadian energy infrastructure firm Enbridge.
The agreement between Heidelberg and the Canadian government is also very much in line with the cement giant’s larger climate strategy and ambition to decarbonize the global cement industry.
Now, both sides are set to discuss next steps in the development of the major CCUS project.
Read more: HeidelbergCement To Build Its Largest Ever Carbon Capture Project In Indiana
