Flintshire poised to become world leader in Net Zero cement production with £400m Carbon Capture Project

Flintshire is on the brink of becoming a global leader in net zero cement production, thanks to a £400 million carbon capture and storage (CCS) project at Padeswood cement works.

Hanson UK has progressed to the due diligence and negotiation phase of their bid to install carbon capture technology at the cement works through the government’s Phase-2 cluster sequencing programme.

This announcement on Thursday marks a significant step forward for the construction sector in its ambition to reach net zero emissions.

If funding is confirmed, the project will establish the UK’s first net zero cement works, positioning Padeswood and Hanson at the forefront of the industry’s transition to a low carbon future.

The move will contribute to decarbonising north Wales and beyond.

CCS is a technology that captures carbon dioxide (CO₂) from industrial facilities, like cement factories, and stores the CO₂ underground to prevent it from entering the atmosphere.

The technology has been demonstrated to work effectively in industrial plants, and CO₂ storage underground has been in operation in Norway since the 1990s.

The Phase-2 cluster sequencing programme, funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, is part of the government’s ten-point plan for a green industrial revolution.

This follows the recent £20 billion funding announcement for early development of CCS projects.

The Padeswood CCS project is expected to reduce embodied carbon in infrastructure and building projects across the UK, including wind farms, schools, hospitals, rail, and roads.

The project will create 54 new full-time highly-skilled jobs and an additional 350 jobs during construction. Once operational, the plant will capture 800,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year, equivalent to taking 320,000 cars off the road.

David Quick, Plant Manager at Padeswood, expressed his excitement about the project’s progress and thanked local community members for their engagement during consultations.

He said: “This is an exciting time for us as we take a step closer to receiving the funding we need to continue our pioneering work at Padeswood.”

“I would like to thank the members of the local community who have engaged with our recent consultation and we will ensure we keep them up to date with our plans as they progress.”

“Our proposed plans for CCS at Padeswood will help decarbonise the construction industry and meet our overall ambition to become a net zero business.”

Hanson’s plans at Padeswood are part of the larger HyNet North West decarbonisation cluster, which aims to create the world’s first low carbon industrial cluster through the development of a hydrogen and CCS project.