Swiss cement manufacturer Holcim invests over 500 million euros to produce carbon-free cement in Wallonia
A state-of-the-art plant in Obourg (Mons) to produce over 2 million tonnes of carbon-neutral cement per year by 2029. The Go4Zero project is supported by the European Union as part of the European Green Deal.
Swiss cement manufacturer Holcim has chosen Wallonia as the location for its new state-of-the-art plant in Obourg (Mons). The Go4Zero project aims to produce over 2 million tonnes of carbon-neutral cement per year by 2029. By 2027, the aim is to reduce CO2 emissions by 30%.
Last May, the Holcim Group launched the transformation of its plant in Wallonia. The project is supported by the European Union as part of the European Green Deal. As part of this project, Holcim has teamed up with the French group Air Liquide for the oxycombustion component, which will enable more concentrated CO2 to be released in the plant's fumes, making it easier to capture and purify on site.
"This project is a world first in terms of energy efficiency. This project will come to fruition in five years' time, and we really want to bring a solution to the market while continuing in our role as players in circularity, by recovering waste in the clinker production line, for both energy and raw material needs", comments Vincent Michel, Project Director Go4Zero at Holcim Belgium.
Vincent Michel, Project Director Go4Zero at Holcim Belgium.
"By 2029, the project will produce two million tonnes of carbon-free cement and capture 1.2 million tonnes of CO2."
In concrete terms, Holcim plans to start producing dry-process clinker in 2027 and completely carbon-free clinker in 2029. "New facilities will be created to process limestone, the basic raw material, and to transport it by train to the Obourg site," adds Vincent Michel, Project Director Go4Zero at Holcim Belgium.
The production of clinker, the basic ingredient for cement and concrete, is highly polluting, since it requires limestone to be heated to over 1,400 degrees, which causes a chemical reaction that releases CO2. Before the end of the decade, all the CO2 from clinker production at the Obourg site will be captured for geological sequestration in the North Sea.
This world first in Wallonia requires an investment of over 500 million euros. Holcim will benefit from a 230 million euro grant from the European Innovation Fund, financed by revenues from the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.
The role of AWEX
Over the past four years, AWEX has accompanied Holcim on its odyssey to demonstrate the relevance of the Go4Zero project to its parent company in Switzerland, and to obtain the latter's agreement to this massive investment in Wallonia.
The collaboration between AWEX and Holcim in drafting a convincing argument was a key element of the work. All the elements required for Holcim Suisse to make a decision were taken into account to provide a global vision of the project: employment costs, tax incentives, investment aid, Walloon funds, European funds, economic trends, etc.
AWEX positioned itself as a facilitator in bringing Holcim into contact with the various Walloon players required to implement such a project. In concrete terms, this involved setting up a company monitoring task force in which all the partners needed to complete the project took part: ministerial offices, Walloon administration, intercommunal development organizations, etc.
Even today, on a day-to-day basis, AWEX provides general monitoring of the project's progress, whether in terms of the recruitment support required on site, or the various calls for projects underway at European level.
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