Already in 2027, the Kujawy Cement Plant will become the first zero-emission cement plant in Poland. Kujawy Go4ECOPlanet is a globally unique project whereby a CO2 capture facility is being installed at the Kujawy Cement Plant, which will make it possible to reduce the carbon footprint of the sintering process of clinker, which is the basic ingredient in cement production.
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The installation, which will be launched in 2027, will capture 100% of the CO2 emissions caused by clinker production. In the span of 10 years, it will capture over 10 million tonnes of CO2, which is 10% of the total annual cement industry CO2 emissions in Poland.
Kujawy Go4ECOPlanet is the first CO2 capture project of this size in the world. As a result, the Kujawy Cement Plant will be able to produce cement at an even lower carbon footprint than currently, and some types of cement may become zero-emission. By the same token, it will become one of the first net zero-emission cement plants in Europe.
The project entails building the infrastructure for the capture and condensation of CO2 from the clinker kiln flue gas, and assorted installations. The facility has been designed based on Air Liquide's Cryocap™ FG technology.
The Cryocap™ FG solution used at the Kujawy Cement Plant is the first CCS (carbon capture and storage) technology in Europe that assures complete CO2 emission capture. Currently, CO2 capture technologies are the most effective method of reducing carbon emissions in the cement industry.
This pioneering deployment of Cryocap™ FG on an industrial scale will make it possible to replicate the technology at further cement plants and in other industries in Europe. The next step will be to develop a full chain of carbon capture and storage.
The Go4ECOPlanet project contributes to meeting the European Green Deal objectives, in alignment with the EU regulations aiming at achieving climate neutrality by 2050. The investment project is co-financed by the EU Innovation Fund that uses funds from the ETS system. Holcim (part of Holcim Group) and the Innovation Fund signed the project co-financing agreement on 19 January 2023 in Brussels. The total project cost is €380 million, with EU financing at €228 million.
Kujawy Go4ECOPlanet is setting new standards in industrial innovation and new generation technologies that contribute to climate protection by reducing the carbon footprint in Europe. The project is an important milestone in the decarbonization of the construction sector, since eliminating CO2 emissions from cement production translates into a lower carbon footprint for construction materials, and consequently – for all newly constructed buildings.
In addition to accomplishing the main goal of further reducing the environmental impact, the Kujawy Go4ECOPlanet project may become a driver of change benefiting the environment in emission-intensive industries.
The Kujawy Go4ECOPlanet project is planned to run for 5 years. All the formalities necessary to begin the construction are scheduled to be completed by the end of June 2024. By that point, it is planned that contracts for energy and transport will have been signed with key partners and subcontractors. The launch of the carbon capture installation is scheduled for April 2027 and within the first year of its operation, CO2 emissions should be reduced by one million tonnes annually.
Preparation of documents Project application with InnovFund EC
Technical design
FID (financial closure)
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Start of operations,
offshore storage.
Construction
Purchasing the basic
devices
January - February 2022 / 3 March 2022
November 2022 – 31 March 2024
30 June 2024
1 November 2024 - Q4 2025
Q4 2025 - Q4 2026
2027+
Kujawy Go4ECOPlanet is a project initiated by Holcim in Poland. However, large-scaleand complex investment projects like this always require the involvement of other parties. The developer and contractor for the Cryocap™ FG technology, which will be used at the Kujawy Cement Plant, is Air Liquide. Subcontractors and experts from different disciplines will be involved in the implementation, depending on the stage of the project. The carbon capture installation at the Kujawy Cement Plant is being built with the financial support of European Union institutions.
The final stage of this undertaking will be the creation of a fully-fledged carbon capture and storage chain. After liquefaction and loading, the CO2 will be transported by rail to a transhipment facility in a seaport, where it will be loaded onto ships and taken to the North Sea. Permanent storage will take place in specially designated, depleted gas and oil caverns.
The transport infrastructure (a seaport terminal for unloading railway cars, storing CO2 and loading it onto ships) is part of a separate project called ECO2CEE, which will be carried out by a consortium that also includes Holcim.
The Kujawy Go4ECOPlanet project is part of the sustainable development strategy at Holcim and Holcim Group, whose objectives include a comprehensive decarbonisation of industrial processes.
Read more on: Holcim Sustainable Development Strategy
During a meeting with stakeholders from the Świętokrzyskie and Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodships that was held on 12 September, Holcim Polska summarised its environmental activities and investment projects. The Environment Day was also attended by a representative of the Marshal's Office in Kielce from the Department of Agriculture, Climate and the Environment, who touched on the development of circular economy in the region.
‘We are focusing on reducing our carbon dioxide emissions. As a result, over the past 20 years we have halved our CO2 emissions from 800 kg to 400 kg per tonne of cement. In addition, we will have implemented a modern carbon capture technology by 2030,’ said President of Holcim Polska Maciej Sypek, PhD, during the 33rd Economic Forum in Karpacz, Poland (3-5 September 2024).
In its expectations of businesses, the EU repeats 'zero net emissions' like a mantra. Holcim is taking up this challenge. As a result, the Kujawy Cement Plant may become the first full ydecarbonised construction materials plant in Poland. Jolanta Zdunowska, Technical Director of Carbon Capture and Storage Projects at Holcim Polska, talks about the PLN 2-bln investment project.
The first zero-emission cement plant in Europe is to be built in 2027 in Poland, in the Kujawy region. Holcim is in the process of implementing the GO4ECOPLANET project, under which 100 percent of the carbon dioxide produced by Cementownia Kujawy will be captured.
The Kujawy Go4ECOPlanet project, which aims to capture 100 percent of CO2 emissions in Kujawy Cement Plant, enters the next stage.
The cement sector is characterized by a high degree of innovation in introducing solutions conducive to reducing the negative impact on the environment.
Holcim and the Innovation Fund (CINEA European Agency) signed the project grant agreement in Brussels on 19 January 2023.
Holcim has secured substantial commitments from the European Union (EU) Innovation Fund for two of its breakthrough Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage projects in Germany and Poland.