Heidelberg Materials Germany Suspends Over €500 Million Cement Plant Carbon Capture Project

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 22, German building materials manufacturer Heidelberg Materials announced the suspension of the current implementation plan for the GeZero carbon capture and storage project at its Geseke cement plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, and that it will re-optimize the project configuration. The project was originally planned with an investment of more than €500 million, supported by approximately €191 million from the EU Innovation Fund, and designed to capture 700,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. The company stated that the construction progress and commercial risk conditions of CO2 transport and storage infrastructure cannot yet meet project requirements, and that the suspension decision will not affect existing production at the Geseke cement plant.

The GeZero project was originally planned to adopt second-generation oxyfuel combustion technology, building CO2 capture, purification and liquefaction facilities at the Geseke cement plant, along with an air separation unit, temporary storage facilities and a rail loading system. The project intended to transport captured CO2 by rail toward the North Sea for permanent storage in subsea geological formations at depths of 1,000 to 3,000 meters at a considerable distance from the coast. The rail transport solution was originally intended to bridge to future CO2 pipeline infrastructure.

The project had previously entered the front-end engineering design phase, with Heidelberg Materials signing a design contract with American engineering firm Fluor Corporation. The scope of work included overall technical integration of the carbon capture unit, supporting production facilities and the CO2 transport system. Under the previous construction plan, the project was scheduled to enter the construction phase in 2026 and become operational in 2029. Following this adjustment, the original implementation timeline no longer applies.

Christoph Streicher, General Manager of Heidelberg Materials Germany, stated that the company will continue to adjust the GeZero project plan and reassess the economic and regulatory conditions required for implementation. The group requires that CO2 transport and storage facilities be put into operation in line with project needs while keeping related commercial risks within an acceptable range. The company also proposed the need to establish a government-supported risk-sharing mechanism and to consider onshore CO2 storage options.

Heidelberg Materials' other carbon capture projects continue to advance according to their respective schedules. Among them, the carbon capture and storage facility at the Brevik cement plant in Norway was put into operation in June 2025; the Padeswood carbon capture project in the United Kingdom reached a final investment decision in September 2025, with construction commencing in December of the same year. The company will determine the sequence of subsequent implementation based on the infrastructure conditions and commercial viability of each project.