Cement firm joins Alberta CCS hub plan

Lehigh Cement said January 26 it had inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Canadian energy infrastructure company Enbridge to collaborate on carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) at its Edmonton cement plant.

The company, a division of Lehigh Hanson Materials, is developing North America’s first full-scale CCUS solution at the Edmonton plant, with a goal of capturing about 780,000 metric tons/year of CO₂, which would be transported and sequestered by Enbridge.

Enbridge, with the support of Alberta power utility Capital Power, intends to apply for CO₂ sequestration rights under the province’s request for full project proposals (RFPP) to develop CCS hubs. Enbridge’s Open Access Wabamun Carbon Hub, with the inclusion of Capital Power’s CO₂ emissions from its Wabamum power generating complex west of Edmonton and Lehigh Cement’s emissions, would be capable of capturing and storing nearly 4mn mt/yr of CO₂, making it one of the largest CCS projects in the world.

Pending an award to Enbridge under the RFPP process, which closes at the end of March for hub development in the Edmonton region, the Enbridge hub could be in service as early as 2025.

“At Lehigh Hanson, we believe that carbon capture and storage technology will play a key role in transforming the cement industry and building a more sustainable future,” said Joerg Nixdorf, president of Lehigh Hanson’s Canada region. “Having a carbon hub solution in place by 2025 is essential for the successful implementation of the CCUS project at our Edmonton cement plant.”