Concrete is needed to build homes, schools and hospitals, as well as roads, power stations and wind farms. It is an essential construction material with no viable alternative, and cement is one of its key components.
Cement production is currently carbon intensive. The power consumption of the cement plant contributes to this, but most of the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions come from the cement making process, which are released from limestone when it is heated to very high temperatures in a kiln.
In order to produce the cement that the UK needs, without emitting large amounts of carbon, it is essential that we capture and store these emissions.
We are proposing to build a carbon capture plant in the southwestern part of our existing cement works at Padeswood, north Wales that will capture 800,000 tonnes of CO2 a year – equivalent to taking 320,000 cars off the road.
The Padeswood carbon capture and storage (CCS) project represents the next step in the Padeswood cement works’ decarbonisation story and gives us the opportunity to place Padeswood at the forefront of the worldwide movement toward carbon-neutral building materials.
It will support the construction industry’s transition to net zero by reducing the carbon footprint of construction projects.
The project will also be an integral part in HyNet, the UK’s leading industrial decarbonisation project.
By creating new jobs and protecting others, it will enable the works to play an even more important role in the regional economy.