Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), together with Worley and Heidelberg Materials, has entered the execution phase of the Padeswood Carbon Capture and Storage project in North Wales, UK. The project will be the first in Europe to deploy MHI’s proprietary Advanced KM CDR Process™ to capture around 0.8 MtCO2/y from cement production operations at Heidelberg Materials’ Padeswood plant. The CO2 will be transported via pipeline for permanent storage in depleted gas fields under Liverpool Bay, as part of the HyNet North West cluster.

The news follows Heidelberg Materials’ final investment decision (FID) in Sept 2025, made in collaboration with the UK Government under Track-1 of its CCUS cluster sequencing programme. The new facility is set to be operational in 2029.

MHI and Worley had been awarded a front-end engineering design (FEED) study in 2024. In the execution phase, MHI will provide the engineering and procurement under the Advanced KM CDR Process™ for the CO2 capture technology, together with other associated plant including compressors. Worley will deliver engineering, procurement, and construction management for the balance of plant.

Cement production is responsible for around 7-8% of CO2 emissions globally. Since most of these emissions come from the chemical process (calcination), they cannot be fully avoided by switching to clean energy sources. This leaves carbon capture and storage as the only viable option for fully decarbonised production.

Simon Willis, CEO at Heidelberg Materials UK, said: “This is the next major milestone in our plans to build the UK’s first carbon capture facility at a cement works. We have established an excellent working relationship with Worley and MHI during the completion of the front-end engineering design (FEED) for our Padeswood project. This, along with their proven track record in delivering this type of complex facility, makes them the perfect partner to take our groundbreaking project to the next stage.”