Abstract for: Implementation of carbon reduced cement manufacturing - A concrete example

The combined emissions from the cement industry are contributing significantly to global CO2 emissions. Norcem has announced its ambitions to be carbon neutral by 2050. To achieve carbon neutrality, Norcem has plans to implement carbon capture technology, willing to reduce the yearly emissions from one plants by 50 %. The policy proposed in this paper, is to further reduce CO2 emissions from this plant, by replacing coal-fueled heating with electric heating.The policy suggests this work will take place in two separate phases – first the calciner should be commissioned and later the rotary kiln. Model simulations reveal that the combination of CO2 capture and electrification of calciner and rotary kiln, would prevent around 14.4 million tonnes of CO2 to atmosphere between 2020 and 2050.A major obstacle to the implementation is the additional costs expected to arise due to high electricity prices relative to coal prices. The model suggests that the source of funding for the coal to electricity transition, should be through borrowing in the financial market. The policy proposes that green cement can be sold at a higher price and the simulations suggest that potential additional income will be significant and will justify a short-term increase in debt.