Poland’s cement producers are urging the government to designate a company responsible for building carbon capture and storage (CCS) infrastructure, warning that billions in private investment depends on regulatory clarity. The industry argues that onshore storage facilities must be authorised if the sector is to meet EU climate goals.
“In order to decarbonise the cement sector by 2040, in line with EU climate policy, it is necessary to implement the WAM [With Additional Measures] scenario, including full deployment of CCS technology,” said Krzysztof Kieres, president of the Polish Cement Association.
Kamil Laskowski, industrial project leader at the Instrat Foundation, backed the call, noting that CCS remains “the only commercially available technology on a suitable scale that enables the full decarbonisation of the cement sector at the pace imposed by EU regulations.”
The first such project is already underway at Holcim’s Kujawy cement plant in central Poland, where a. CCS installation - the Go4ECOPlanet project - is being prepared. The project has received an environmental permit and is expected to cost at least PLN2bn (US$490 million).
Industry representatives say a nationwide framework is now urgently needed to ensure storage and transport infrastructure is in place to support large-scale deployment.
