Heidelberg Materials wins UK’s first approval for carbon capture cement plant

CEMENT maker Heidelberg Materials has been granted planning permission to integrate carbon capture and storage (CCS) into its Padeswood cement works in North Wales.

Heidelberg Materials’ plans are the first to be approved in the UK for CCS-enabled cement production. The company aims to make Padeswood the UK’s first net zero cement plant, with operations expected to start in 2029.

The cement industry alone accounts for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Heidelberg Materials expects their new CCS system to capture 95% of all emissions from the Padeswood cement kilns, amounting to 800,000 t/y of CO2. The emissions will be stored in depleted gas reservoirs owned by Eni underneath Liverpool Bay, part of the HyNet CCS cluster that stores emissions from heavy industry across northwest England and North Wales.

Heidelberg Materials’ UK CEO Simon Willis said: “This is fantastic news and brings our plans to create the UK’s first net zero cement works a step closer.

“Cement is essential to the UK’s transition to net zero. It is fundamental to the development of everything from new offshore wind farms to nuclear power stations, to low carbon infrastructure and the thousands of green jobs these projects will create.

“Our Padeswood CCS project will bring significant inward investment and opportunity to the region, boosting the North Wales economy and securing the future of hundreds of skilled jobs. Once operational, it will also provide net zero building materials for major projects across the country and will act as an exemplar for sustainable cement production in the UK and across the globe.”

Decarbonising cement

Submitted as a “development of national significance” in September 2024, the Welsh government approved Heidelberg Materials’ plans earlier this month, marking the latest development in the UK’s efforts to decarbonise cement. Also in North Wales, startup Material Evolution opened their new “ultra-low carbon cement” plant in Wrexham last December, while in November, Cemex announced plans to install hydrogen technology to power their plant in Rugby, England.

Heidelberg Materials says the new CCS project will create up to 500 jobs during construction and around 50 long-term roles once the system is operational.

The project will also look to boost nature in the area by creating ponds and planting woodland. Harry Cross, the lead consultant at RSK Environment, who prepared the environmental impact assessment for the planning application, said they evaluated “landscape and visual, biodiversity, climate and noise and vibration, to understand the impact of the project on the environment and propose mitigation and enhancements to offset the impacts”.