Denmark Approves First Large-Scale Cement Carbon Capture Project

Denmark approved Europe’s first industrial-scale carbon capture and storage project at a cement plant. The facility, operated by Aalborg Portland, will capture and store 1.25 million tonnes of CO2 each year. Cement production accounts for roughly 7 to 8 percent of global CO2 emissions. Many of those emissions come from the chemical process itself rather than from fuel combustion.

Construction is expected to begin after final permits are issued. Project operators have not released a timeline for first capture operations.

Carbon capture and storage has appeared in many national climate plans but has rarely reached commercial scale in heavy industry. Environmental organizations have expressed mixed views on CCS, citing both its potential role in reducing industrial emissions and concerns about continued fossil fuel use.