Holcim appoints carbon capture project director

Holcim UK has appointed Jan-Willem Verkaik as project director to lead the development of a Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) facility at its Cauldon cement plant in Staffordshire — a key step toward near-zero cement production.

With more than 30 years’ experience delivering major energy infrastructure projects across Norway, Iraq, the UAE and Russia, Verkaik will oversee the planning and execution of the Cauldon CCS project, part of Holcim’s wider decarbonisation roadmap.

Cement manufacturing emits carbon dioxide through the heating of raw materials, and CCS technology captures these emissions for reuse or permanent underground storage. The project supports both Holcim UK’s sustainability strategy and the UK’s national net-zero targets.

Verkaik said: “Carbon capture is vital for the competitiveness and sustainability of the building materials industry. I’m proud to join Holcim’s expert team and lead the Cauldon CCS project as we work to make sustainable construction a reality in the UK.”

The initiative also forms part of Peak Cluster, a regional partnership aiming to capture, transport and permanently store up to three million tonnes of CO₂ annually by 2032 across multiple manufacturing sites in the Peak District.

Mohamed Ben Driss Alami, managing director of Holcim UK’s cement business, said: “Jan-Willem’s technical expertise and leadership will be crucial to delivering this landmark project and advancing our net-zero ambitions.”