Ground-breaking ceremony for carbon-free cement plant in Belgium
The building materials producer has broken ground on a facility in Belgium to produce carbon-free cement. The GO4ZERO plant in Obourg aims to produce 2 million tons of net-zero cement annually by 2029. With an investment of over 500 million euros and support from the European Innovation Fund, the project is advancing the decarbonization of Europe. The project is part of a collaboration with a company in gases for industry, medicine, and environmental protection, aiming to offer over 8 million tons of decarbonized cement per year by 2030.
Building materials producer Holcim, headquartered in Zug, has broken ground on a plant for the production of carbon-free cement in Belgium, according to a press release. The event in Obourg took place in the presence of Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and the EU Commissioner for Climate Action, Wopke Hoekstra.
The modern GO4ZERO plant should be able to produce a total of 2 million tonnes of net zero cement per year by 2029. With a planned investment of over 500 million euros, the project aims to drive forward the decarbonisation of Europe, according to the press release. Holcim is collaborating on the project with Air Liquide, a Paris-based company specialising in gases for industry, medicine and environmental protection.
Holcim is supporting the project with 230 million euros from the European Innovation Fund, which is financed by revenues from the EU Emissions Trading System. “The Innovation Fund is driving the introduction of innovative, low-carbon technologies in Europe,” Wopke Hoekstra is quoted as saying.
“By driving decarbonisation as an engine for profitable growth, Holcim is well on its way to making net-zero cement and concrete a reality on a large scale in this decade,” says Miljan Gutovic, CEO of the Holcim Group. GO4ZERO is one of six projects supported by the European Union for the capture, utilisation and storage of carbon dioxide. “These aim to capture a total of over 5 million tonnes of CO2 per year so that we can offer over 8 million tonnes of fully decarbonised cement per year across Europe by 2030,” says Gutovic.