UK's first net-zero cement plant

Hanson is aiming to capture up to 800,000t of CO2 per year at its cement plant in Padeswood, near Mold. The site is set to undergo a GBP400m upgrade to implement carbon-capture technology in the coming years.

Hanson’s Head of Process and Sustainability, Iain Walpole, said the upgraded plant would be able to combine low-carbon cement with carbon capture to ensure zero-net emissions from its production. He said: "The whole concept of the Padeswood project was to make net-zero cement. So almost every little bit of calculation we've done, we have asked ourselves 'what does that do to the net-zero balance?"

"If you replace the [Portland] cement component with ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), which is a low-carbon cement], then obviously that brings the CO2 per cubic metre of concrete down; this project is making the bit that is left behind net-zero."

Hanson aims to utilise the low-carbon qualities of GGBS, which can cut up to 90 per cent of carbon emissions, while also ensuring that the remaining 9-10 per cent is eliminated.