Global building materials giant Cemex has secured a €200 million ($218 million) grant under Spain ’s PERTE of Industrial Decarbonization program to power SOMZERO, an ambitious carbon capture project at its Alcanar factory in Tarragona, Catalonia.
Representing a total initial investment of over €450 million ($490 million), the initiative aims to transform the facility into one of Southern Europe’s first net-zero cement plants while creating a scalable carbon infrastructure model for heavy industry.
The primary objective of the SOMZERO project is to deploy advanced carbon capture, transport, and permanent storage technologies capable of capturing more than 500,000 metric tons of CO2 per year. This targets the hard-to-abate process emissions inherent in clinker manufacturing that cannot be eliminated through conventional energy efficiency or alternative fuel measures alone.
Regional Impact
Beyond decarbonizing the Alcanar facility, Cemex plans to use the plant as an anchor point to develop a broader regional CO2 industrial hub in Catalonia. The shared infrastructure is expected to facilitate the integration of both public and private entities seeking transport and storage solutions across the region.
The €200 million public grant is funded via Line 1 of Spain’s Strategic Project for Economic Recovery and Transformation (PERTE) of Industrial Decarbonization.
The program is administered by the Ministry of Industry and Tourism through state entity SEPIDES and backed by the European Union’s NextGenerationEU recovery framework.
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Fernando Enríquez, Vice President of Operations at Cemex EMEA, highlighted the significance of the grant, noting that the project demonstrates how sustainability, innovation, and industrial competitiveness can be integrated effectively.
He emphasized that decarbonizing essential, energy-intensive sectors requires a long-term vision, supportive regulatory frameworks, and robust public-private collaboration.
The initiative forms a core part of Cemex’s broader Future in Action global climate strategy, which aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions company-wide by 2050. However, Cemex noted that ensuring SOMZERO enters operation on schedule will require ongoing institutional support, secondary financing mechanisms, and clear regulatory guidelines surrounding carbon transport and geological storage in Spain.
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