World’s first full-scale carbon capture utilization, storage cement plant being built in Edmonton

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated this would be the world’s first carbon capture facility.

It’s a concrete move for those who want greener industries.

Ottawa and a European company – Heidelberg Materials – are building the world’s first full-scale carbon capture utilization and storage cement plant in Edmonton.

“The world’s first full-scale carbon-neutral cement plant right here in Edmonton, Alberta,” said Chris Ward, president and CEO of Heidelberg Materials North America.

The facility is expected to capture more than a million tonnes of CO2 annually. Ottawa claims that’s like taking 300,000 cars off Canada’s roads every year.

“This is the green supply chain of the future, and it’s happening right here in Canada,” explained Francois-Phillipe Champagne, minister of innovation, science and industry.

The cement industry accounts for about eight per cent of all global emissions.

“Reaching these goals is especially challenging for our industry given the fact that two-thirds of our emissions come from the process emissions,” said Ward.

The project has a timeline of three years and is expected to create 2,000 jobs across Alberta.

A design for the facility has not been finalized, but Heidelberg is looking to break ground in 2024.

The current timeline projects to have the facility fully operational in 2026.