Cool Planet Technologies has announced that its 10 000 tpy carbon capture plant at Holcim’s Höver cement facility in Germany has been officially opened by Lower Saxony's Minister-President Olaf Lies and Stephan Hinrichs, CEO of Holcim Germany.
The project is intended to serve as a blueprint for climate-neutral industry in Germany, demonstrating a solution that is scalable, economically viable, and capable of safeguarding jobs. The facility which is currently being commissioned is expected to capture up to 10 000 tpy of CO2, making Höver one of the first industrial sites in Germany to capture greenhouse gas emissions on this scale.
CO2 will be separated from exhaust gases using Cool Planet’s advanced membrane carbon capture process. As the capture system is installed downstream of the production process, it enables existing cement plants to be retrofitted without requiring major modifications. Following the final expansion phase, approximately 90% of CO2 emissions from the Höver cement plant are planned to be captured, purified to a high-grade standard, and ultimately utilised in industrial applications.
Minister-President Olaf Lies commented:
"The cement industry faces particular challenges in decarbonisation. Here in Höver, we are now demonstrating how the transition to low-carbon cement production can succeed. With this new facility, Holcim is making a clear commitment to Germany as an industrial location and contributing significantly towards our goal of achieving a climate-neutral Lower Saxony."
Stephan Hinrichs, CEO of Holcim Germany, added:
"Höver will be one of the first industrial sites in Germany where CO2 is actually captured at large scale. We are relying on leading European technology and drawing on the engineering expertise of our technology partners. Together in Lower Saxony, we are proving that climate protection and industrial competitiveness can go hand in hand."
Andrew Corner, CEO of Cool Planet, noted:
"Together with Holcim, we are pioneering a new approach for the cement industry. The membrane-based CO2 capture process is being tested at this scale for the first time in Höver and lays the foundation for gradually decarbonising existing cement plants."
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