Carbon Herald reports that the French government has unveiled a €1.6 billion (~$2 billion) support package aimed at accelerating emissions reductions across seven of the country’s most carbon-intensive industrial facilities, with carbon capture playing a central role.

The funding was announced by the Élysée and is to be distributed over 15 years in the expectation of annual CO₂ emissions reductions estimated at 3.8 million metric tons – roughly a quarter of the industrial emissions reductions France aims to deliver by 2030.

The selected projects span cement, aluminum, and chemical production – sectors where emissions are often process-related and difficult to eliminate through electrification alone. Beneficiaries in the cement sector include the Heidelberg Materials plant in Airvault, and the Holcim plant in Saint-Pierre-la-Cour, which is designed to capture roughly 0.9 million tons annually. Additional funding will support chemical sector projects led by Syensqo in Saint-Fons, Ineos at Lavéra, and Eurolysine in Amiens.

Four of the seven initiatives include carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) components. If delivered as planned, these initiatives could capture more than 3 million tons of CO₂ annually