Holcim UK has appointed Jan-Willem Verkaik as project director to lead its carbon capture and storage (CCS) initiative at the Cauldon cement plant in Staffordshire. The move supports Holcim’s strategy to advance towards near-zero cement production.
Verkaik brings more than 30 years of global project management experience in major gas developments across Norway, Iraq, the UAE, and Russia. At Cauldon, he will oversee the development of a CCS plant, a key step in Holcim’s decarbonisation roadmap.
CCS technology captures CO2 emissions from cement manufacturing at their source for reuse or underground storage. Holcim UK views CCS investment as critical for meeting both its own sustainability targets and the UK and EU’s net-zero ambitions.
Verkaik said he is “delighted to join a team of specialists at Holcim and lead the Cauldon CCS project,” calling carbon capture “vital” for keeping industries competitive while cutting emissions.
He will also contribute to the Peak Cluster initiative, a partnership of industries aiming to capture and store 3Mt of CO2 annually by 2032.
Mohamed Ben Driss Alami, managing director of Holcim UK’s cement business, welcomed the appointment, citing Verkaik’s “extensive knowledge and passion for sustainable industry” as key to delivering the project.
