US DOE selects Heidelberg Materials' new cement plant in Mitchell for Carbon Capture Demonstration Projects Program funding

The purpose is to study the integration of carbon capture, transport, and storage at the new state-of-the-art cement plant in Mitchell, Indiana. The funding will significantly support the work started under prior awards from DOE and catalyse further efforts to complete the Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) work necessary to verify the project's technical feasibility.

The application was submitted in 2022 before the company rebranded from Lehigh Hanson to Heidelberg Materials earlier this year. Heidelberg Materials will contribute about $5mn in funding for a project total of $10M. The funding was part of a DOE initiative that generated nearly $189mn to support the development of community-informed integrated carbon capture, transport, and storage projects across the US.

The new Mitchell cement plant will more than triple its current capacity and incorporate features to minimise energy consumption and enable alternative fuels and raw materials to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The proposed project will further assess the technical feasibility of capturing, treating and preparing for storage or use of approximately 2 million tons of CO2 each year.

"We are pleased for this additional federal funding to help move our Mitchell carbon capture project forward," said Chris Ward, president and CEO of Heidelberg Materials North America. "Heidelberg Materials recognises the significant role that CCUS will play in achieving its goal of Net Zero carbon, and we are very excited to take the next steps in exploring this technology at our new cement plant in Mitchell."

Heidelberg Materials is committed to leading the sector in developing viable carbon capture projects essential to achieving the company's ambitious sustainability goals. The new cement plant in Mitchell produced its first clinker in the second quarter of 2023.