With funding supplied by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), the Phase 2 CCS Cluster Sequencing process aims to advance the adoption of carbon capture technology within UK industry.
Having announced HyNet and East Coast Clusters as the Track 1 CCUS clusters last October, the BEIS has now selected 20 projects from both clusters to take to the next stage of the Phase 2 process.
“We are delighted to have made the shortlist for the next phase of government funding, but there is still a way to go before we can realise our ambition for CCS at Padeswood,” commented Simon Willis, CEO, Hanson.
These ambitions include the capture and storage of 800,000 tonnes of CO2 each year, a reality that could be realised if Padeswood is selected for funding,
According to the company, selection would also enable it to produce Net Zero carbon cement as early as 2027.
“Government funding is essential and would give us the confidence to invest in a carbon capture plant which would help secure a sustainable future for the UK cement industry and be a huge leap forward in the construction industry’s decarbonisation plans,” added Willis.
A key component of the concrete and the general construction industry, cement production is a notoriously hard-to-abate sector, responsible for 8% of global CO2 emissions.
As clinker production from limestone makes up 60% of those emissions, companies have also increasingly focused on lowering the clinker factor of their products to decarbonise production.
Research undertaken at the University of Oxford has recently revealed that a new type of concrete – called EarthCrete Cementless Concrete – was found to capture up to 10% CO2 by weight during production.
Read more: ‘Breakthrough’ cementless concrete passes carbon-negative tests