The GO4ZERO project presented by HOLCIM Belgium has been selected by the Innovation Fund jury: a major step towards the decarbonization of the cement sector!
On 13 July 2023, HOLCIM was notified of the selection of its GO4ZERO project for the Innovation Fund's 3rd call for projects. The jury's decision recognizes the maturity and relevance of this unparalleled industrial project, which involves the capture and sequestration of all process and combustion CO2 from the new clinker production line planned for the Obourg site, and which constitutes the first phase of this extraordinary project. The jury's decision is all the more gratifying given that the 3rd call of the European fund had a subscription rate 12 times higher than the envelope released by the Commission.
This decision paves the way for the project execution, which is subject to completion of the final financing procedure and has already obtained its single permit in February 2023.
This support will cover a significant proportion of the additional decarbonization costs anticipated during the 2nd phase of the project: it will consist in implementing an innovative oxycombustion process (oxygen replacing air as the combustion medium) to improve CO2 concentration in off-gases, combined with leveraging Air Liquide know-how and unique expertise in CO2 capture technologies. Air Liquide intends to build and operate a unit of its innovative and proprietary CryocapTM Oxy technology to capture and purify up to 95% of the CO2 generated from Holcim’s production unit in Obourg. The captured CO2 will then be handled through Antwerp@C[1] CO2 Export Hub where it will be transported, liquefied and loaded onto CO2 ships for onward permanent and safe offshore storage.
To complete the financing of this project, which is essential to the climate transition, HOLCIM Belgium has also applied for a grant from the Walloon government under the Just Transition Fund. This grant should enable the first phase of the project to be carried out: the construction of a new air/oxygen switchable dry process furnace, to replace the 2 wet process units, which are much more energy-intensive.
With these investment and decarbonization grants, the HOLCIM Group's investment decision could then be confirmed and the work launched later this year.
[1] Antwerp@C CO2 Export Hub is an open-access infrastructure to transport, liquefy and load CO2 onto ships in the Antwerp-Bruges port.
