QUESTION &
ANSWERS

A process, when emissions from industrial sites are caught with special equipment. Then carbon dioxide (CO2) is separated from other exhaust gases and can be transported to long-term storage locations. The ultimate goal of this value chain is the usage of CO2 for production of new products, for example, synthetic aviation fuels.

Hard-to abate means that it is very difficult to reduce CO2 emissions due to specifics of production process, high usage of fossil fuel, long facility lifetimes and significant capital expenditures required for adapting new technologies. Three sectors are referred to as such – cement, chemicals and petrochemicals, and steel. These are big CO2 emitters and energy intensive sectors, therefore decarbonization of those is high priority within development of green economy.

In SCHWENK Latvija we have done a lot with traditional methods like decreasing the usage of fossil fuel close to zero and achieving almost 100% substitution rate with alternative fuel, as well as usage of alternative cementitious materials with the goal to reduce clinker factor. But for reaching close to zero CO2 emissions carbon capture is the only option at the moment.

Cement is the base of the whole construction and building materials value chain. At the same time, cement production in Latvia and Europe accounts for around 8% of country’s CO₂ emissions. We are aware of our impact and responsibility, both in terms of industry and climate change, so the transition to green production is an absolute priority for us. In last 15 years CO₂ emission amount from cement production in Latvia has been decreased by nearly 40% using alternative fuel and alternative cementitious materials. But as cement production is hard-to-abate industry, where emissions are extremely difficult to decrease due to specifics of production process, innovative technologies like carbon capture is the only solution known now to decrease CO₂ emissions close to zero. We see it as the only possible way to operate in the future, a prerequisite for our and our customers’ competitiveness in Latvia and in export markets.

There are multiple benefits that carbon capture in Broceni cement plant will bring to Latvia. The main ones are – huge investment, significant reduction of CO₂ emissions and opportunities for other industries and academia.

Cement production in Latvia accounts for around 8% of country’s CO₂ emissions, therefore decarbonization of cement production will significantly improve Latvia’s ability to reach climate goals.

Carbon capture transforms CO₂ from exhaust gas to a base of completely new value chain. It is a huge opportunity for other business sectors to develop transportation infrastructure and production of new products using CO₂.  Apart from that Latvia has the most suitable geological structures in the Baltic States for storage of CO₂.  This is an unprecedented opportunity in Latvia’s history to gain significant economic benefits and strengthen the country economically.

Development of carbon capture also opens wide opportunities for universities and research centers to extend their knowledge and opportunities for further innovation.

Customers’ benefits are competitiveness and ability to offer climate and environmentally friendly building material products to their clients and end-users. Northern European example clearly shows that demand for environmentally and climate friendly products is increasing. In Sweden and Finland we see high demand for decarbonized cement and benefit for these customers is clear – high quality cement with close to zero CO₂ emissions, which is also important for competitiveness in Northern European markets.

For Latvian exporting customers decarbonization will help to maintain strong position in export also in the future.

The need for decarbonization is relevant and will be increasingly significant for the whole building materials industry. With investment being made in decarbonizing the building materials core product – cement, all further value chain will have significantly lower climate impact, higher ability to comply to regulatory framework, less pressure on their own investment, resilience to future changes and ability to maintain competitiveness in the future.

Human health and safety, environmental safety are among priority aspects when evaluating and implementing carbon capture technologies in Broceni cement plant, transportation and storage of captured carbon. During all stages of the project highest level safety measures will be in place.

The project is subject to full compliance with regulatory requirements regarding its impact on environment and human health and safety. All potential risks will be analysed in detail before implementation of the project and managed according to applicable regulations and/or best practices depending on the nature of risks. The project will be closely monitored by state institutions, including State Environmental Service.

There are several technologies under consideration. At this point solutions considered for further tests in Broceni cement plant are a tail-end solutions, meaning they don’t affect clinker and cement production process and product characteristics.

Carbon capture transforms CO₂ from exhaust gas to a base of completely new value chain. For its further development transport, storage and utilization technologies are crucial and relevant stakeholders should take action to leverage this opportunity.

We investigate all possible transport, storage and utilization opportunities and are in active engagement with local authorities and other stakeholders.

It should be developed along with carbon capture, as it is a full value chain. There are CO₂ storage places in the North Sea, but we know that there are geological structures suitable for carbon storage also in Latvia. Further investigation about opportunities is already in the agenda of responsible authorities.

There are broad opportunities to develop new products, for example, synthetic fuels. These industries are also future innovations that we see slowly emerging. Until new technologies are developed, carbon can be stored in geological structures.

The goal is to build a carbon capture facility in Broceni cement plant and start full scale carbon capture from 2030. It is a complex project, which will change the scenery of existing plant completely. New equipment will be located in various parts of the cement plant to provide full cycle of carbon capture and its loading for transportation.

Purity of captured CO₂ will be high-grade (food-grade, so suitable to be used in food products), according to the highest currently known benchmark set by Northern Lights project. It is the world’s first CO₂ transport and storage facility, which was opened in autumn 2024 and is located in Bergen, Norway.