Heidelberg opens world-first CCS plant for cement in Norway

Heidelberg Materials has officially inaugurated Brevik CCS in Norway—the world’s first industrial-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) facility within the cement sector—marking a new era for sustainable construction.

The milestone was celebrated on 18 June with a ceremony attended by H.R.H. Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, Minister of Energy Terje Aasland, Heidelberg Materials chairman Dr Dominik von Achten, and more than 320 guests from across industry, government, and civil society. A plaque made from concrete was unveiled to commemorate the occasion.

The facility, part of Norway’s Longship programme, will capture around 400,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year—equivalent to 50% of the Brevik plant’s emissions and comparable to the output of 150,000 transatlantic flights. Captured CO₂ will be liquefied on site and shipped to permanent storage beneath the North Sea via the Northern Lights network, a joint initiative between Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies.

“Today marks a historic milestone and tectonic shift in the built environment,” said Dr von Achten. “Supplying net-zero concrete is no longer a future ambition but a reality.”

The plant will support production of evoZero®, Heidelberg’s carbon captured cement product, enabling net-zero concrete solutions to be delivered across Europe. Initial volumes of CO₂ have already been successfully captured, liquefied, and stored, with injections into subsea reservoirs scheduled to begin in August.

“This is a powerful example of how businesses and government can work hand in hand to pave the way for a more sustainable future,” said Minister Aasland.

Built into the existing Brevik cement facility without disrupting operations, the CCS unit took more than 1.2 million hours of on-site work to complete, involving up to 400 people. Thirty new staff have been trained to operate the system, which is now a key reference point for global CCS efforts in hard-to-abate industries.

“Thousands of people have already visited Brevik to learn from our experience,” added Giv Brantenberg, general manager for Heidelberg Materials Northern Europe. “This is not just a technical masterpiece, but a concrete example of industrial leadership on climate.”

Brevik CCS is the first of several CCUS projects planned by Heidelberg Materials and serves as a critical blueprint for wider carbon capture deployment in the global cement and construction sectors.