HeidelbergCement participating in Project ACCSESS
Górażdże cement plant in Poland to pilot innovative post-combustion carbon capture project
AS part of Project ACCSESS, HeidelbergCement are to become the first company to pilot carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology in Eastern Europe by demonstrating an innovative post-combustion capture technology at their Górażdże cement plant in Poland.
Project ACCSESS involves a consortium of 18 industry partners and research organizations, led by Sintef Energi AS of Norway, which aims to significantly cut the costs of the CCUS value chain, speed up deployment of CCUS, and link CO2 emitters from mainland Europe to storage fields in the North Sea. The further development of CCUS pathways is a central part of HeidelbergCement’s carbon-neutrality roadmap.
‘As part of our participation in ACCSESS, HeidelbergCement will pilot a new carbon capture technology in Poland,’ said Dr Dominik von Achten, chairman of the managing board of HeidelbergCement. ‘The tests of an enzyme-based capture unit at our Górażdże plant will deliver important insights into how we can further reduce costs in the capture process. At the same time, it will emphasize our strategy to expand CCUS further into our Eastern European-based assets.’
The enzyme-based capture unit will allow broader use of the Górażdże plant’s waste heat and simplify the control of secondary emissions.
For HeidelbergCement, the ACCSESS project comprises three focal points. In addition to testing the separation technology in Poland, the company and its partners will carry out a study to explore the optimal integration of a carbon capture unit at the Hanover cement plant in Germany.
The third pillar will focus on all aspects of transporting CO2 from sites in mainland Europe to Norway, including all regulatory aspects of cross-border CO2 transport. The consortium will develop transport systems from the Hanover and Górażdże plants to the Northern Lights storage facility in Norway – a joint project by the oil and gas companies Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies.
The €18 million ACCSESS project, which has been awarded €15 million out of the EU Horizon 2020 budget, will run for 48 months, from May 2021 to April 2025.
